Hikigaya Hachiman Becomes an Athlete
by Phelon
Summary: Hachiman is forced into joining a sport so he can get a recommendation to Chiba U. How does his life change when he enlists in Soubu's soccer team?
1. Chapter 1

Hikigaya Hachiman Becomes an Athlete

Ch. 1: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Soubu High has a lot of rules and customs. Everyone knows that the ladies wear red ribbons and the men wear ties (except for me because that's a shitty rule that only a corporate slave would follow). Not everyone knows that to get a college recommendation, a student must join a sport for at least one season to solidify their appearance as a "well-rounded student who can contribute to society in a multitude of ways," whatever that means.

That's why I was emptying the list of unused profanities in my lexicon at rapid-fire pace as Hiratsuka-Sensei explained this in the faculty office. Thankfully, most of the teachers had a different lunch break and thus were not around to hear the colorful outburst that certainly should have gotten me sent home for a few days.

"Hikigaya, it's simple. Join a sport and get the recommendation. It comes with a full-tuition scholarship, which I know you need. You're always going on about how mature and adult-like you are in those drab essays you turn in, so be an adult and accept the truth."

"Isn't part of being an adult getting married? You're about as much of an adult as I a- OOF"

"I'm not married because I choose not to be, thank you very much. Anyways, don't change the subject. I suspended the Service Club's activities until the end of this season so you could focus on this. Even Yukinoshita joined a sport when I asked her to!"

"I doubt that."

"She's actually part of the Tennis club. I remember her saving your ass last year when you were practicing with Totsuka."

_How does she even know about_ that?

"Anyways, I suck at any sport that needs hand-eye coordination like that, and I don't have the physical strength to wrestle or engage in any form of martial arts. How am I supposed to find a team to join?"

"That's up to you to find out. Now go, my ramen is getting cold, and I have to finish this episode of Hunter x Hunter before fourth period starts."

The door slid shut behind me as I mulled over her words. I was screwed, plain and simple. There were only so many sports clubs at Soubu, and frankly, I didn't want to be in any of them. Well, tennis would have been a good way to stare at Totsuka's adorable face for two hours a day, but Yukinoshita threw a wrench in that when she decided to join. I can already imagine her scathing insults mocking the shit out of me every time I missed a return. While the bell was already signaling the start of fourth period, math was quite possibly the last thing on my mind.

* * *

As the final bell rang, I lifted my head out of it's warm refuge in my arms only to see Yui Yuigahama's concerned face way too close for comfort.

"Hikki! Why weren't you paying attention the lesson? Usually you're listening or at least giving Hayama-kun a menacing glare or something, but today you just looked like you wanted to sleep. Were you up late looking at ecchi websites or something?"

Good one. Your Yuis are giving me enough to think about for a week with the way you're leaning over directly in front of me right now.

"Nah, I was just bored. By the way, Hiratsuka-sensei suspended our activities until the end of the sports season, so don't bother coming to the club room today."

"Mou, why?"

"Hell if I know. Ask Yukinoshita about it. Anyways, I have a date to catch with Switch-chan, so if you would excuse me…"

I stood up and slid out of class. I was walking so fast, I almost missed the whisper coming out of her mouth as the door closed behind me.

"What kind of idiot would go home to play games when I'm right here?"

Eh, whatever. I'm going to ignore the reluctant blush on my face and shove that to the side. Honestly, after the debacle that was our "friends date," I thought things would never be the same between us three, but they settled down to a comfortable pace over the following summer. Now that her and Yukinoshita's feelings were out in the open, a lot of the tension between us was resolved. Of course, both wanted an answer from me, but I could outwait them. Once they see that my heart is just as rotten as my eyes and get over their childish fantasies, they'll go back to ignoring me like everyone else has up until this year.

As this word-vomit was coming out of my psyche, I had already found my way to the bike rack and was cycling home, passing through the recreational fields on the way.

More important than Yuigahama's remark was the issue of which sport I was going to join. I wonder how hard it would be for me to fool Hiratsuka-sensei into thinking I was part of any random team. Nah, she would come to our games to ensure my participation. Single women have that kind of free time. What about making up a new team and just not playing any games? I can't think of a sport I like enough to do that, but I could certainly do some research tonight and get a proposal written up by the end of the we-

_Ow._

"Sorry, Hikigaya!"

I turned around to see a soccer ball on the floor and Soubu's resident Gary Stu staring at me. Ah, I've been blessed with Hayama's presence. Blessed is probably not the right word to describe how I feel about this situation, but it's a bit more PG than some of the alternatives floating around my mind right now.

"You should probably kick the kid who missed that badly off the team. Unless he was aiming for me. It wouldn't be the first time."

"Actually, I took that shot. Sorry, I couldn't get your attention when I called your name. Do you have a minute?"

"Don't you have practice right now? And anyways, I don't have time to help with any of the problems you have with your pretend friend group."

"No need to be so hostile, Hikigaya. I was thinking we could make a deal."

"What could you possibly need from me, golden boy?"

"Don't call me that. Anyways, to get a recommendation to Tokyo Uni, I need to be in a club and play a sport. I'm sure you want a recommendation to a school too, which means we're in the same hole. I know you're in the Service club, and I'm on the soccer team. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"I do, but I don't want to."

"Make me a Service club member. I don't have to do anything, just let me be part of it, and if anyone asks, back me up. In exchange, I'll give you a spot on the soccer team. I'm captain, so I'll make sure nobody gives you shit for it either."

"Kiss my ass."

I said that, but the gears were turning at full speed in my head. This could be the break I needed, although the irony of this situation wasn't lost on me. It would be unbelievably funny if Hayama ends up being the reason I get a scholarship to Chiba U.

"At this point, I may consider it if it means you'll shake with me on this." Although he said it in an even tone, there was nothing but pure contempt on his face. I could tell it was demoralizing to him too, the King of SoubuTM getting help from a lowly scrub in the social hierarchy.

After a few seconds of mulling over his offer, I decided to take him up on it. To tell the truth, I knew my parents were working their asses off to give us the life that we had and knowing that they were going to have to put Komachi and I through college, I wanted to do anything I could to lessen that burden.

"Fine."

"Perfect. Be on the field tomorrow at 3:15. Wear shin-guards and cleats, and make sure you're dressed comfortably. We're going to be running quite a bit before drills. Let me know if the Service Club needs any help."

The idea of running more than the distance between my house and the Gamestop on the corner was making my face pale, but I needed to finish up the conversation before I realize what exactly I had gotten into.

"We suspended club activities. Yukinoshita needs time off for the same reason as us. You lucked out by thinking to ask me. I don't know why you'd do that but consider yourself saved."

"To be honest, I didn't want to look like someone who was cheating my way around the club membership requirement, but I don't mind if you know the truth, considering that your opinion of me is already on the damn floor."

"And rightfully so. Anyways, I'm going to head home. Think of a less painful way to get my attention next time."

With that farewell, I hopped on my bike and pedaled home.

* * *

**AN:** This is my first fanfiction, so don't hesitate to grill me if you think it's trash. I wanted to write something kind of unique for the fandom and work on my writing skills while I'm at it. Although the story uses the soccer club as the main plot device, it's not really the focus. It's mainly going to be about how Hachiman's involvement in the club affects his outside life. Other characters will make an appearance and there will (probably) be a slow-burn romance somewhere in here if you guys think this is an idea worth making into a full-length fic.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2: My Worst Nightmare

_It's dark._ That was the first thing I noticed. My hands were also tied behind the wildly uncomfortable steel chair I was sitting in. Wait, why was I in a steel chair? Why are my hands tied with rope? That's so cliché! If you're going to kidnap someone in 2019, at least use zip-ties or something more ergonomic like a sensible person.

"Hachiman~, why didn't you join my club?"

_Ah._

I forgot. This is my divine punishment from the cherub himself. Forgive me for I have sinned! I let my fear get in the way of our love.

"Totsuka-kun, I'm sorry. It's because of _her." _I jerked my head to the side, indicating the presence of a certain black-haired beauty in the corner of the room.

She just gave me a baleful glare and continued to pierce through me with those icy eyes. Icy eyes that I couldn't help wanting to be pierced by. I've always been a sadist when it comes to her. But, the haughty look in her eye was different now. Before, she would always glare at me before stifling a laugh with her hand. She would always insult me in a way that only I would find funny. I'm certain I'm the only person who would miss being called "Hikki-froggy-kun" and "Hikigay-kun", but that was what made her so endearing as a… what? I can't say we're friends, because she adamantly denies that at every opportunity, but with her feelings relatively out in the open, I know we're no less than that. It was a fruitless exercise; I've been trying to answer that question for months to no avail. More importantly, I wanted to get to the bottom of why she seemed so _off_ right now.

"Are you not going to defend yourself?"

"Why should I need to do that, _Hikigaya?_ It's your weakness that's stopping you from joining the tennis club._"_

I winced at the way she forced my name out of her throat, like a cat dislodging a pesky hairball. The lack of an honorific hurt, too.

"Weakness? We both know you'd insult me to death every time I make a mistake, and I'd rather avoid that."

"Quit lying to yourself. We both know you're just scared to spend time alone with me. You barely come to club when Yuigahama isn't there to act as a buffer. You act like my feelings don't exist in order to maintain this status quo. To borrow your words, why can't you show me _something genuine?_ Stop hiding behind a wall. We showed you our feelings, yet you refuse to show us yours."

_**WOOSH**_

A bucketful of cold water hit my face, releasing me from my mental prison.

"Onii-chan, why're you talking in your sleep? What're you sorry for? Also, was that last part you trying to impersonate Yukinoshita-san's voice? Should I tell her you're dreaming about her? Oooh, Yuigahama-san's not gonna be happy to hear this, hehe~"

"Komachi, shut up please. And what time is it?"

"You have about thirty minutes to get to class. I'll keep quiet about this episode, in exchange for some Komachi points!"

"I'll give you a billion points to get out of my room so I can change."

"Don't write a check with your mouth that your ass can't cash, onii-chan~"

With that, my imouto left me to my own devices, drenched in sweat and ice-cold water. Now I'm gonna need a shower if I don't want to get a cold.

The bitter cold stung, mostly because everything Yukinoshita said was true. Seems like the Ice Queen could freeze me even across Chiba.

* * *

I feel like I owe you an explanation here. See how I said the tension between the other members of the Service club and I was mostly resolved? This is what I meant. When all three of us meet, our clashing personalities and the girls' mutual respect lent itself to a more relaxed atmosphere, at least enough melt the ice between us. Yuigahama loved Yukinoshita like the sister she never had, and she had enough experience putting up a front with Hayama's crew to fake her feelings around me.

That left only me and Yukinoshita. As one could deduce from my dream, I knew that our current relationship was "wrong, as I expected."(1) In my defense, I had no idea how to solve things. Yukinoshita was a fragile girl, no matter the front she put up, and actions clearly meant more to her than words. I just can't figure out the right action to take without hurting anyone. I haven't been able to choose between showing my genuine feelings and keeping the waters calm like they are now. Saying I want something genuine is admittedly much easier than proving it.

Mending our relationship has been on the backburner too, thanks to entrance exam prep and club requests, but I knew I would have to face my feelings before I graduated, or risk regretting it forever.

* * *

Yet another day of class passed without much fanfare. I almost began my programmed walk to the Service club room before remembering that my new after-school destination was the locker room. I still can't shake the feeling of being a slimy jock now, although I bet most jocks weren't as skinny as I was.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not frail or weak by any means. I do ride my bike to school and back every day, I stay in reasonable shape, and my diet would be healthy if you didn't include my hourly can of MAX Coffee. I'm sure I could probably handle today's practice, too. Nonetheless, it would probably be nice to look a little bit more like a riajuu(2) athlete, although you won't ever catch me saying that out loud.

Ah, I've finally reached the home base of Soubu's sports teams. As I chose an empty locker and changed into the ill-fitting shorts I haven't touched since the beginning of my first year (I didn't have any money left for athletic clothes after buying a pair of cleats and shin-guards), I could hear my peers and underclassmen snickering behind me.

"Who's _that?_"

"Doesn't matter, he looks like he's ass."

"That's Hikitani, he's in my class. He never opens his mouth except for randomly flashing a shit-eating grin at nothing."

_Hey, my loving smile at Totsuka isn't a shit-eating grin!_

"Isn't he the one always with Yuigahama and Yukinoshita? He's gotta be loaded for them to be so attached to him; there certainly doesn't appear to be any other reason for them to hang around someone like that."

Their voices slowly petered out as I felt a new presence enter the room. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw Hayama stare give the idiot who made that last statement an unwavering glare. Never missing a chance to white-knight for Yukinoshita, eh?

"This is Hikigaya-kun. He's going to be part of the team from now on. I don't want to hear any more about him, and certainly not anything about two girls who have nothing to do with the team. If we want to make Kokuritsu(3) this year, we don't have time for distractions. Now get on the field for stretches ASAP."

Spoken like a true captain. It almost brought a tear to my eye. I knew he wasn't doing it to defend me, but I was still happy he stopped those losers from continuing. Whatever, I guess. Time for practice, right?

* * *

_Holy shit._ Does the team really do this bullshit every day? I lost count after the 7th lap, but I'm sure we've ran at least four miles today. I don't know how I'm lasting. Even some of the other players have dropped out. We were doing an endurance set, in which we did various agility drills and sprints in quick succession to tire ourselves out, before running until we couldn't anymore. After a couple of especially mind-numbing circuits, I finally fell on my ass. I was proud of the fact that I ranked right in the middle of the pack, based on how things turned out. With a few weeks of practice, I could probably be challenging for one of the top spots on the team, at least in terms of physical fortitude.

However, now was the part I was truly dreading. We were going to actually _play soccer_. Frankly, I don't think I've ever touched a ball in my life, and it was evident when we partnered up for passing drills. After a few minutes of looking hopeless, Hayama came up to me and suggested I tried finishing with him and the other strikers, in case I was more of a shooter than a passer. I ended up spending more time retrieving the balls I shot wide of the net than practicing. Defense was a similar affair. Although I could stop attackers at a reasonable clip, I had no idea what to do with the ball after winning it back.

Finally, Hayama shoved me into the goal and handed me a pair of gloves.

"I'm gonna take ten shots. If you can stop two of them, I'll make you the backup goalkeeper for now."

With that, he placed the ball on the penalty marker and took three steps back. If this was a sports manga, there would be some ominous wind effects and a full-page panel of the scene. The rest of the team also paused their activity to see if I was going to make an ass out of myself yet again.

I blocked the first shot easily. I mean, he sent it directly at my chest without much effort.

"Just wanted to see if you're as hopeless at keeping as you are at shooting. Fine then, don't expect me to hold back anymore. You're gonna have to earn this spot."

Shots two, three, four, five, and six all ended up in the back of the net. However, I could tell that he betrayed the side he was going to shoot at sometimes based on the direction his plant foot faced just before he kicked.

He wound up for the seventh shot, and I steeled myself to look at the spot where his foot would be just before connecting. It pointed to his right. My brain quickly translated this as "DIVE LEFT, IDIOT" and I flung myself toward the corner of the goal. I could see the ball floating to me, and I watched as it bounced off my hand onto the grass in front of the goal line.

Just kidding. It flew past me and buried itself in the net.

Hayama walked up to me and offered a hand to pull me up from the ground. "That's enough."

"You didn't even give me all ten chances. Am I really that pathetic?"

"Stop getting so worked up over nothing. You did exactly what I wanted you to."

"What? Make a fool out of myself in front of the team?"

"No. A goalkeeper's skill isn't measured by his ability to guess which way he should dive. It's measured by how he uses the information available to him to make an educated guess about where the attacker will shoot and act appropriately in response. That's exactly what you did. My pointer foot is my tell for penalty shots, and you noticed it with that last shot. I could tell how hard you were looking at the spot next to the ball. You only missed it because you're not fast enough to make a diving save off of pure instinct yet. You'll be a fine backup for now. Starting tomorrow, I want you to practice with the keepers after endurance drills."

His words filled me with a weird feeling. I guess you could call it pride, although that would be slightly inaccurate. Fulfilled would probably be a better word. It was the first time someone has praised me in a long while. It was bittersweet because it came from Hayama of all people, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Hayama looked around and noticed the gaggle of spectators surrounding us. "What're you all doing? I want the field cleaned and all of you out of here in ten minutes, or we're running double tomorrow. Got it?" His voice boomed with an authority I hadn't seen before.

"**YESSIR"** the team shouted in unison.

The rest of the team looked on at me for a moment before following their orders. I could tell they thought Hayama was giving me special treatment, but they also had to give me credit for passing his test. I could handle a relationship like that for now. I'm not here to be team captain. I just want my damn recommendation.

* * *

1 A shit reference to the series' title

2 Japanese term for normie

3 Japanese national high-school soccer tournament. The equivalent of states for high school soccer in the U.S.

**AN:** Wow! I got a lot more feedback and follows and stuff than I expected. I really appreciate the support. This chapter is pretty long and winding, but I think it's necessary for the framework of the story. Here we see that Hachiman still feels very guilty about not living up to his words of creating something genuine. I feel like this is the logical next step from what happened in the anime, because I don't believe that it would be very easy for him to just change and be honest with himself without some strong development. I haven't read novels 12/13 (waiting on season 3), so this story follows the anime continuity through the end of season 2. I also feel like the longer monologues and juxtaposition between Hachiman's thoughts and actions in the real world are useful to create a realistic picture of how things look in his eyes as he goes through his normal day. Let me know if you think otherwise and why! I've used some of the advice I got from various reviewers, so thank you and continue offering feedback to help me improve this story.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy Hachiman

"Unhh," I groaned as streams of light flowed through the gaps in my curtains and attacked my eyes. The alarm clock sitting on my bedside table informed me that I still had about thirty minutes until I needed to get ready for class.

_Yosh, time to make the most of this unlikely blessing_.

My mind drifted towards the events of yesterday's practice. The irony of being named backup goalkeeper was not lost on me. Of course, I was playing the loner's position. There would be no interaction or reliance on anybody else, and if the other team scores, the blame would fall chiefly on my shoulders. To be honest, I shouldn't have expected anything else. I just hope that it won't end up like the cultural festival. Exposing Sagami and helping Yukinoshita save the day was well worth the bullying I received after, but I'd rather avoid going through that experience again, nonetheless.

On the topic of Yukinoshita, I thought of our last conversation. I haven't seen her outside of club since we got back from summer break; as third years in September, both of us were studying furiously for entrance exams and had no time to hang out. Her image began to weave its way into my mind: I remember the deep blue Yukata that complemented her eyes, her pitch-black hair tied up, the exposed skin on the nape of her neck... yeah, she looked even more otherworldly than usual. I don't know why I invited her to see the fireworks with me that night, and I'm even more confused about why she agreed, but it was a markedly enjoyable experience. At least, until our final conversation.

"Hikigaya-kun, have you decided on the state of your feelings at this moment? I assume your mental faculties are too abysmal to be able to think at such a high level, but I still await the moment they evolve enough to answer the question I proposed to you so long ago." The way she talked was adorable in the funniest way; here we are, two high schoolers talking about love in the middle of a fireworks show, and she uses diction best reserved for a dusty textbook.

"No, and I'm not going to. I don't know how I feel, and frankly, I don't think I want to know."

"Very well then. I am going to ask you once more. Please do not attempt to evade the answer. Do you l-l-lov…" Her voice trailed off as she struggled to say the word in question. Knowing what she was going to ask, I turned around and began to walk away from the conversation, slinking into the crowd and erasing my presence. _Yet another one of my 108 skills: Stealth Hikki activated._ I thought I was clear of her when I felt a tug on my sleeve and turned around to see her face contorted into a mixture of a pout and an angry glare. I won't lie to you, it took every ounce of restraint in my body to not pinch her cheeks. She looked so much like Komachi then.

"DO YOU LOVE ME?" Damn. I guess the only way she could convince herself to say something like that was to force it out at full power. I remember how shell-shocked I was, staring at the crowd around us as they whispered gossip and questions that swirled in the wind.

"_Isn't that Yukinoshita's daughter?"_

"_What's she doing with __**him**__?"_

"_Weren't rumors spreading about her marrying Hayama's son? What happened to that?"_

I ignored the onlookers and opened my mouth. Rather, I picked my jaw up from its position on the floor and _then_ opened my mouth. Sputtering like an idiot, I finally chose a course of action. "I th-"

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

Shit! I forgot about class. I tried to roll out of bed and stand up, but an entirely unpleasant sensation overtook my legs and abs. I was sore as all hell. "Damn you Hayama and your shitty workout regime," I muttered under my breath. Well, that just meant getting to class would be a bit more of a challenge today.

* * *

"Alright team, gather up. First, I have a few announcements to make. The soccer team has always prided itself in its workout routine that leaves our players in tip-top condition, even though Soubu High lacks a weight-training facility. However, as you may know, Silverman Gym(1) just opened a new location adjacent to the school grounds, and the school has agreed to pay for memberships for all team members. From now on, we will be supplementing our training with workouts in the gym twice a week. These will be primarily focused on developing the fast-twitch muscles in your legs and increasing mass in the quads, hamstrings, and abs, but you have free reign to lift however you want outside of our practice hours. Tachibana, Hikigaya, goalkeepers should consider working out their upper body as well. You'll need it to stop high-speed shots and make diving saves. The rest of you should know the drill."

"Hai!"

"Also, she was busy with student council duties during the first term, but I'd like to introduce one of our managers, who will be working with the defense and goalkeeping squad. You may know her already, especially if you were a team member last year, but all of you give a warm welcome to Iroha Isshiki!"

In anime, there is something called a sweatdrop. As the name implies, it's a tiny bead of sweat that shows up on a character's face which basically means that they're thinking "oh shit." There was a sweat _waterfall_ running down my face. I totally forgot about Isshiki. It makes sense, too; she was sick yesterday and didn't show up to class, which explains why she wasn't at practice either. Shitshitshitshitshit-

"Sennnnnpaiiii~" That word ruined any chance of me having friends on this team.

"_She knows him?"_

"_I thought he was a loner like us."_

"_Goddamn it, he already has two girls who won't leave him alone. Someone tell him to stop being so greedy."_

Yes, the high school male is a peculiar beast. Either way, I could already tell that all of my practices from here on out were going to be an ordeal, to say the last.

* * *

(1): Reference to the gym in _Danberu Nan Kiro Moteru._ One of my favorites from this season, highly recommended if you like exercise and fanservice.

**AN: **Hey everyone, I'm back with another chapter of this story. I tried to set a tone for some of the things I mentioned earlier on, and I wanted to give you all some context of when this is taking place, along with some insight into the Hachiman-Yukino relationship. Since I haven't read volumes 12/13, this also ignores the events of those novels. I'm sorry if that's a problem for anyone. There will be a sort of timeskip/training monologue in the next chapter, as I don't want the chapter structure to become too repetitive and a few other plot-related reasons. Once again, I'm super grateful for the feedback on this story and I appreciate all of your reviews. If you want me to continue writing, don't hesitate to let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Winds of Change

_Clang!_

The iron weights slammed against each other as I completed my last set of lateral pulldowns. A thin sheen of sweat was visible on my forehead, and the foxy kouhai standing directly in front of the machine wasn't doing much to help me focus.

"Senpaii, you only have lateral rows and deadlifts left, and then we can go get parfaits! Your treat, of course, hehe" Iroha drawled.

"Can you explain why the hell you're disturbing my intense workout again? On second thought, I guess it's only natural that you'd be drawn to my exquisite physique." I retorted, only half-joking.

"Eehh? Hayama-senpai told me to check in on you and make sure you do the exercises properl- wait, are you hitting on me? Although my heart skipped a beat and I sort of agree with your statement I can't really do this right now so I'm sorry but pleaseaskanothertime!"

She sputtered the last few words out at full speed and turned around with her head bowed. To be honest, that habit of hers was endearing, even if it got old after the first fifty times.

"Anyways, let me finish up my routine. Wait for me outside the changing room, I shouldn't need more than about twenty minutes."

"Haii!" She coupled the affirmation with a wave and a sly wink as she skipped over to the vestibule between the lockers and gym entrance. It was hilarious how quickly she could adapt and change her moods. _Kind of like an off-brand version of Haruno, _I thought.

No. Haruno was a completely different beast. Iroha was cute and conniving and had her own distinct way of getting things done, but Haruno was more like a murderous chameleon, something whose true form is unsightly but can put on a mask to adapt to any background, situation, or environment. Where Iroha radiated impish charm, Haruno seemed to approach every one of her interests with killing intent. I knew because I happened to be one of those unlucky "interests." Nevertheless, she's backed off since Yukinoshita's indirect confession, I guess as a reward for her shedding her fears and for my response to the situation at hand.

As thoughts of the various attractive women in my life swum through my psyche, I finished my rows and set up the barbell for my deadlift routine. Today I'd be going for a new maximum lift: 155 pounds. Although most trained lifters would see this as nothing more than a petty warmup, this was a milestone for a novice like me. I ran through a few warm-up sets at lower weight to get used to the relatively complicated lifting technique, then finally set my wrists at just over shoulder-width apart, squatted down, and pulled upwards with all my might. After a second of exertion, the bar slowly began to levitate above the ground. With a Herculean heave and a loud grunt, I pulled the bar up to my hips and then dropped it, satisfied with my work.

"Oho, nice job Senpai! You didn't tell me you had a bubble butt too hehe"

I turned around to see Iroha staring at me with a look that seemed like a mishmash of respect, confusion, and something else I couldn't quite place. Either way, it was embarrassing to know that she probably watched that whole routine while I didn't even notice.

"You should get better at listening to directions, especially from your superior. Anyways, show me that parfait shop you wanted to stop at."

* * *

It was a quaint little spot, with a hand painted sign that said _Kataware Ice Cream _and an interior that was modeled after Victorian decorum. Combined with her restaurant choice on our last little "date", I concluded thusly: Iroha has shit taste in men but a supreme eye for good food and dessert. Naturally, I would never inflate her ego and say that to her face.

"Ne, Senpai, you look different from before."

"What're you trying to say?"

"Well, your face is a bit sharper, your clothes are tighter, and your arms seem to have some defined lines. Also, your eyes only look about 80% as dead as usual."

I knew all this already, but I was just curious to see what she would pick up on. Thanks to Hayama's stupid-ass practice schedule that melted the last vestiges of baby fat off my body and the gym routine he so generously shared with me, I was shaping up into an athletic riajuu, just like him. I only started training strenuously about four weeks ago, and so the results weren't inherently obvious, but they were noticeable to someone who spent a ton of time with me,= like Iroha. It didn't hurt that the pump from the gym accentuated my more masculine features, as well.

Also, a little-known fact about me is that my dead fish eyes happen to be caused in part by my inability to get more than three hours of sleep on school nights, thanks to Switch-chan. With this killer routine, however, I was hitting the sack as soon as I stumbled out of the shower, and so my eyes looked rested enough to mask their rotten glare, if only a little.

"I thought you were after Hayama. Why're you staring to intently at me?"

Right on cue, a light pink dust coated her cheeks and she stammered out some insignificant reply about how I was reaching way out of my league and that she was just looking at me to make sure I wouldn't pull some nasty move on her. I swear, if any other guy saw that, they'd think she was in love with them or something.

"Anyways, since you're a team manager, can you run me through the schedule until Kokuritsu?"

"Yeah. Right now, it's September 20th. Our first match is the 27th, and from then on we have matches every Thursday and Saturday until the tournament begins in December. If we make it far enough, the season will end at Nationals in early January. With regards to training, we have game days and Sundays off, and Fridays are usually lighter practices. Goalkeepers will be held to the weightlifting schedule by yours truly, although I'll be mostly around you; Tachibana knows his way around the gym and his own ability pretty well."

With that, she returned to her parfait, poking it absentmindedly with her spoon. However, there was a tempest raging within her golden eyes. I could tell she truly wanted the team to succeed. Iroha hid it well, but she was fiercely competitive and was more than competent when she needed to be. For some odd reason, I felt motivated to put a smile on her face and do well in my own right too.

After some more casual conversation, I (begrudgingly) paid the bill and walked her to the station. Even though tomorrow was a Saturday, which meant a half-day of school, Hiratsuka-sensei hinted at a quiz in modern Japanese, and I needed to stop at cram school for a practice exam before I could go home and study for it. This month's assignment was Norwegian Wood (the Haruki Murakami book, not the Beatles song). Although I've already read it a dozen times, I needed to brush up on my knowledge to pass one of Hiratsuka's convoluted-ass quizzes. Maintaining my #3 ranking in the language was a huge source of pride for me, and I couldn't afford to lose it.

* * *

A brown-eyed girl with a bob cut, full lips, and thin nose watched the two Soubu students' altercation play out through the window of a small coffee shop across the street. She narrowed her eyelids to focus her vision and confirm the hypothesis forming in her mind.

Yeah, it was exactly what she thought.

That's Hikigaya alright, and he's with a GIRL?

Not only that, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was clear as day she had some interest in him, although it didn't look like it was being reciprocated. It was more peculiar to see the loner interact so animatedly with someone. Although they had only talked a few times in the several months since they were reacquainted, Kaori Orimoto still couldn't shake Hikigaya from her thoughts. Whether it was guilt for crushing him the way that she did in middle school, intrigue at his new hilarious mannerisms, or morbid curiosity at those dead fish eyes, he often seemed to be the topic of her intrigue.

As she laid her eyes on the scene in the parfait shop, she noticed that he looked a little different since the last time she'd seen him. He was leaner, sat up straight instead of slouching over, and _damn_, his eyes were still ugly but whatever marginal improvement he made to their appearance was enough to completely change her opinion on his looks. He was looking healthy, no, he was radiating energy. Frankly, she couldn't believe it was the same person, but enough was still the same for her to confirm his identity.

She watched him lead the girl over to the nearby train station, sling his bag over his shoulder, and head the other way, into a nondescript establishment that had a flyer detailing exam review sessions for a "cheap price that will guarantee the results you need or your money back!" _Interesting_, Kaori thought, _I'll have to remember that_.

She leaned back and took a sip from her latte, chewing over the scene in her mind. It was clear that Hikigaya had been working out, although that contradicted everything she knew about him. It was also clear that his mental state was not the same as it was when they last messaged each other before the end of summer vacation. She was interested in the new Hikigaya, and she wanted to see what made him tick. However, she couldn't just up and ask the guy to hang out. That would be too out of character, both for her to ask and for him to agree without a good reason. Thus, Kaori Orimoto tucked the thought back into her mind and made a note to find an excuse to interact with the boy within the coming weeks.

* * *

**AN: **Thank you guys again for reading and leaving reviews! The story looks really weird so far, and I wouldn't be surprised if you think it's trash, but I promise it'll shape up a bit once we get to the narrative I have planned. This pretty much concludes the first arc of the story, which is just me setting up the world for this story and fleshing out Hachiman's mindset and relationships. If you think they're great or not so great, in character or out of character, well written or boring, leave a comment about your thoughts in the reviews! Next arc will probably take us until the start of Kokuritsu, with Hachiman developing his niche on the soccer team while also juggling the development of his various relationships and the impending doom of college entrance exams. As always, don't hesitate to let me know how you feel, and if you have any requests or ideas you want to see in the story, also feel free to mention them! Hopefully chapter 5 will be up within the week. Thanks 😊


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Chance Encounters

_Zip._

_Pat._

_ Shhhck._

The neon tennis ball approaching me achieved three different destinies in about a quarter of a second. First it flew past my ear, then I pawed at it and just got a fingertip on the edge, hoping to push it out of the goal, until it finally settled in the back of the net with a sound that was either satisfying or unsettling, depending on who you were betting on.

"Hikigaya, I think you should try setting your feet straight more. It looks like you have the reflexes to keep up with a smaller target, but you're only preparing to fail if your body position isn't right when you go for a dive."

"Remind me why I'm taking orders from you?" I complained at Hayama. I knew he was team captain, but I was hoping he'd just stick with the forwards on the team, the ones who scored all the goals and got all the glory.

"I can't have our backup goalkeeper get rusty, now, can I? Even if you haven't gotten much play time in our first couple of games, Kaihin Sougou High (1) is up next on the schedule, and their players have a bad history with Tachibana. If he gets injured, we'll need you to step up for the team." He retorted. As usual, he had a calm and levelheaded explanation for everything, which pissed me off even more. Although he wasn't always Mr. Cool, as evidenced by his interactions with Yukinoshita (both of them), it still irked me that he never seemed to get angry at me, or offer a spiteful reply, or do anything else a normal high school guy would.

"We both know that's highly unlikely, and I'm so shitty that _you_ could probably be a better keeper than me. Let's drop this façade and agree that you're just torturing me for my inability to play this position." I smirked mentally. Hayama was backed into a corner. Any compliment he could offer would look like shameless shilling to help get my confidence up and a simple disagreement would look like he was reluctantly agreeing to my sentiment, which was still a win in my eyes.

"Iroha's been counting stats since the season started," He began before taking a short pause. "I didn't want to tell you this until later, but you've actually stopped many more shots than any other potential keeper except for the starter, and your shots to goal ratio is better than any of the kids who tried out the keeper position in the beginning of the season before you came either. Don't belittle yourself. You do that way too often Hikigaya, and you know it. I won't pity you, and since I'm captain of this damn team, I'm not going to let a good player blend into the background. If you won't respect me, then respect the efforts of everyone else, because they're trying their asses off to get better every single day, and I can't stand to watch you take it for granted and treat this all like one big joke."

With that, he straightened his practice jersey, coughed into his elbow, bowed, and went back to running overlap drills with the forwards.

_Interesting. _It seems like I've hit a soft spot. It was only natural for Hayama to get angry for others before being incensed over personal matters. Notwithstanding, I couldn't shake his words from my mind. I was an asshole, but not enough of an asshole to disregard the team's hard work, and if Iroha's statistics were accurate, then I had to admit his argument was sound. It was supremely inconvenient, but I may just have to start training like I mean it.

"HEADS UP!"

Just as I came to that epiphany, an unidentified flying object rocketed into my temple at Mach-3, sowing the seeds for what will most definitely become an earsplitting headache in a few seconds. _Shit! Why the hell do I get hit in the head so often? It's almost like a convenient plot device or something._ I hope whoever sent that ball at my face chokes on a bag of dicks-

"Sorry bro, the shot just rolled off my toe wrong haha," apologized one of the forwards, Ichiban. Just by his words, I could tell he was a jock. Once I looked up at his face, it was all but confirmed; the boyish looks, colored eyes, and earrings told me that he already probably thought he was superior to me because of his Twitter follower count.

"Roll into a pile of shit, won't you?" After the encounter with Hayama, I really wasn't in the mood, and even though the guy probably didn't deserve it, he just happened to be the perfect focal point for my frustration.

"What did you just say, loser? Dude gets a couple of girls to hang out with him because they feel bad he has no friends and thinks he's hot shit because of it. You're only on the team for some nerdy ass reason anyways. Show some respect to someone who actually gets play time unless you want a problem with me, boss." He spat out, his face contorted in rage and anguish. I'm sure nobody's ever disrespected him like that before. Oh well, not really my problem.

"Boys, boys, chill out a bit. I'm not gonna deal with this again. Ichiban, get the stick out of your ass. Hikigaya, stop being such a condescending douche bag. We're all brothers here, and if you don't like it, then fake it. The season's already started and we don't have time for these distractions!" Once again, the holy Voice of Reason chimes in with his two cents. It was seriously annoying how he always did that.

The whole incident was kind of played out though, so I grimaced through an apology and walked away. Practice was effectively over regardless, so I could head toward prep school now. It was the cheapest one around for the quality of tutoring it offered. It was supposedly built on the ruins of an old cram school which was haunted by a European vampire and frequented by some odd-looking teens (2), which made the property cheap and thus a very lucrative investment for the owner.

As I trudged over to the school gate where my bicycle was locked up, I noticed a short, adorable girl with golden eyes sitting on my bike.

"Sennnpaiii~, can I get a ride home?" Ah, yes. I forgot that Iroha was waiting for me today like always. Usually she would leave me alone if I gave her enough of a push, but today she was already showing full puppy-dog eyes, which meant I couldn't stand a chance. The image of Komachi phasing into her was too much for me to bear.

"You know, riding double is illegal in Japan. Also, you're a lot heavier than you look, so taking you home is kind of a chall- BLEGH"

"Mou, Senpai, you know that's not how you treat a girl! And here I was about to tell you how cute your little comment at Ichiban was."

"Re-really?" I struggled out as I heaved, still recovering from her well-placed kick in the balls.

"No. You're too much of an asshole to ever look attractive."

"As I expected. Now get on, I only have forty-five minutes to get you home and pedal to my prep class."

Iroha clambered on to my back seat as I released the bicycle's kickstand and began pedaling. This was an expected development. However, I definitely did not expect to feel two slender arms snake around my stomach and the smell of shampoo permeating the air as Iroha's head and torso leaned against me. I bit back a comment about the sensation, because even I wasn't dense enough to realize that I should probably keep my mouth shut and enjoy the moment. With her sudden physical gesture came a comfortable silence that I sincerely needed after such a jam-packed practice.

Looking back on the past few weeks, a lot of things had changed. In mid-August, I joined the soccer team and started weightlifting. Toward the end of September, I hit my deadlifting milestone and started seeing changes in my body. Now, two months from when I first became a goalkeeper, my bodily changes were beginning to become inherently clear to my acquaintances and so did the partial disappearance of my dead eyes.

Of course, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were passive-aggressive as usual, flirting and then retracting their advances in fear of being shot down. But it was interesting seeing Kawasomething stammer even more than usual whenever we had a conversation, Ebina saying something about putting her Boys Love fantasies on hold for "bigger and better things," and even Orimoto texting me to catch up. That last one was weird, because I don't remember seeing her since summer break ended, but maybe it was just a coincidence.

The biggest change, however, was my lifestyle. As much as I hate to admit, being healthy is convenient, what with the improved mood and more convenient sleeping habits it came with. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a rotten piece of shit, but now I'm a rotten piece of shit sprayed with Febreze. My grades improved, too, and I'm positive I can secure that recommendation if only I make it through the end of the season without quitting. I guess it's finally time for things to look up for your resident unlucky loner.

"Senpai, we're at my apartment building." Iroha pointed the structure out to me and I parked, letting her down and preparing to send her off.

"Hey, Senpai, can we do this again sometime?"

"What? You didn't even say a word for the whole ride."

"Well, I still liked it. I shouldn't have to explain myself, but I should've expected you to be that dense." Dense? ME? Do you know who you're talking to, woman? One of my 108 Hachiman Skills happens to be my extreme perceptive skill and ability to read the atmosphere. Dare I say that I've never not picked up a subliminal hint sent my way! I was miffed at her statement, but decided to let it go for my own good.

"Sure. Let me know if you need a ride again, although I won't hesitate to turn you down if you call me dense again. Well then, I'll be off."

"Have a fun time at cram schoolll~" She waved as I departed for today's lesson on Euler's Theorem. Man, math was such a shitty subject, even for a Monster of Logic like me.

* * *

Well, that was hell. Seriously, what use does calculus have in modern society? Writing and language are needed for communication and sharing ideas, but advanced mathematics rarely shows up outside of academia, if ever. I walked down the steps of the building that I was being tortured in for the past two hours and untied my bike from a nearby rack. As I prepared to zip home, a hand at my shoulder gave me pause.

"Hikigaya-kun, is that you?" A lilting voice that I knew all too well froze me in my tracks.

I slowly turned to examine the spectacle behind me. As I thought, it was Kaori Orimoto. Cute as ever and stylish to boot, she reminded me of the memory that plagued my middle school years. Although I was totally over the failed confession by now, she's still a big part of the reason why I don't trust easily and maintain such a pessimistic worldview.

She was dressed in a white blouse that hugged her shoulders and flowed down to a pair of olive capris that clashed with her skin tone in a way that made her stand out even more than usual. She wore hazel-colored sandals that directly paralleled her eyes, and a Starbucks cup was present in her hand. She was the type who ordered those refreshers with formulae that were obscenely complicated, like "double light ice extra sugar cut the strawberries and did I say light ice?" It suited her personality. I wonder if she has a boyfriend. Her type usually didn't go out on the town without some athlete's arm linked with theirs, but maybe she had changed a bit since the last time I s-

"Hikigaya-kun, could you stop staring me down? It's kind of creepy. Oh well, at least I know for sure it's actually you." She chuckled a bit at the last sentence, leaving the trace of a crisp white smile on her face.

"What? Why wouldn't it be me?"

"Well, you look a bit _different_, for lack of a better word. I can't say I'm not enjoying your new look though. How come your eyes only look half as dead as usual, too?"

"Get off my case," I retorted, "I've been working out. Also, I'm on the soccer team now, thank you very much, so I guess you could say I'm actually a jock." _Hmph, she's sure to be surprised with that one_. Sasuga (3) Hikki.

"Oh, so that's how you convinced Class President-chan to go out with you, right?" She laughed again, but this one was full of mirth and something that seemed uncomfortably close to bitterness.

"Who fed you that bullshit?" I was honestly confused. My relationship with Iroha did earn the ire of many of my classmates, but I doubted most of them cared enough to say something, especially to a student at another school.

"Oh, a little birdie told me. I guess they lied though. So you're single? Not even dating the cutie who was with you when we saw each other at the summer festival? What about that girl with the big chest, she seemed pretty close to you too.." I wasn't sure why she was asking all of these questions, but I wanted to set things straight regardless.

"Stop being ridiculous. You know I'm not the type to get caught up in girl troubles, and either way, it's not like any girl in her right mind would want to date me. Anyways, if you don't need anything, I'm going to head home."

"Eh? You're hilarious Hikigaya, just dodging a cute girl when she wants to talk to you. I'm not done yettt," The smile went back to the shining beam of light that it first was when I saw her. "If you're single, then are you interested in anyone?"

The image of a certain long-haired beauty flashed in my mind at the question, but I dismissed it instantly. I wasn't really in love; she just mesmerized me at times. Either way, this is Hachiman Hikigaya we're talking about! Love is for those who have not yet forgone their youth, and I was lucky enough not to be in that pitiful club.

"No, I don't like anybody right now." I finally forced out.

"Hmm, perfect. Just perfect. Well, Hikigaya-kun, we're playing Soubu on Thursday, so I'll see you at the game!" With that, she skipped away, not even offering me a chance to respond.

Wait, what? Shit. I forgot that Orimoto went to Sougou, or at least I didn't make the connection when Hayama told me we were going to be playing them next. Knowing Orimoto, she's just going to be another distraction in the event that I actually get some play time.

I shook the thought of her from my mind and started biking home in earnest. I need to start studying ASAP if I want any semblance of a decent sleep tonight. I zipped through sidewalks, service drives, and side-streets as years of optimizing my various routes throughout the city came in handy. The best way to make a process more efficient is to give the job to someone extremely lazy, right? I think Bill Gates said that once, or something like that.

What was supremely inconvenient, however, was the group of high schoolers clogging up the alley in front of me. They were probably bumming some stolen cigarettes behind their parents' backs or something if they were hanging out in a place like this. _Tch, _I thought. _Losers._

As I rolled up to their posse, I noticed they were standing in a circle around a black object. One of the goons facing me looked up with a wide-eyed face, clearly to try and intimidate me or something.

"What're you looking at, loser?"

"I'm not looking at anything, but I _am_ trying to bike through here and go home. So if you would, please move." I wasn't in the mood to start a fight like before, so I did my best to sound respectful, although it was hard to show anything but disdain for these punks.

"Alright, hurry along then. Don't come back around here for another couple of hours, either. Next time we won't be so nice." Ah, empty threats, the prized weapon of a high schooler. He must have forgotten that most civilian weapons were banned in Japan, and in the event of a fight, I could probably outrun his numbskull crew. As I stepped aside and pushed my bike through the group of six boys, however, the black object on the floor began to convulse.

My horror tripled when I realized the black object was a _person_, although they were wearing some sort of canvas bag over their head, presumably so they couldn't identify the attackers.

"Hikigaya? Is that you? Get me out of here!" My blood crystallized when I realized that the person in the bag was Tachibana, the starting goalkeeper. As I looked around at the group of thugs, everything fell into place. Some of them were still wearing their shin guards, and a couple others seemed poised to step on Tachibana with muddy cleats. Hayama wasn't bullshitting; those Sougou kids were some nasty pieces of work.

As much as I wanted to ignore the voice and run away to protect myself, Hayama's words rang through to me yet again. _"If you won't respect me, then respect the efforts of everyone else on the team, because they're trying their asses off to get better every single day, and I can't stand to watch you take it for granted and treat this all like one big joke."_

Tachibana genuinely was a hard worker; that much was true. He truly did deserve his spot as the team's keeper. I didn't want to stand by and watch him get hurt, not only for his own sake, but for the sake of a team of kids that were busting their asses and needed its starter at full health. Against my better judgement, I hoisted him on to the back seat of my bike, which was getting pretty pissed off at how liberally I was using it today, and tried to pedal off at full speed.

Unfortunately, I failed to calculate for two things. One, Tachibana was a lot heavier than Iroha, and I could barely pedal faster than jogging speed with him on me, and two, there were still six guys who were out for blood standing around us. Both points made themselves known when I fell off my bike and my face connected with the first idiot's fist.

I stumbled back, tasting blood on my tongue. Thankfully, he missed my nose and jaw, at least. Meanwhile, the black bag was finally off Tachibana's face, and I could see he was much worse for wear. Both of his eyes were swollen, and his nose was at an angle that didn't seem very healthy. In a split second, I made the decision to pull his arm and run. Bicycle-chan would never forgive me for abandoning her, but casualties are just a part of war, right?

"Run this way and follow me. We're going to take a shortcut back to my house. I'll clean you up and we can escape them there."

"Right." He responded.

The little head start we had let us give them the slip after about three blocks of running, and in no time, we were back at my house. I had him lean back as Komachi helped me ice his face and set his nose with a splint.

"Say, Hikigaya, you're actually pretty good at this. Are your parents doctors or something?" He asked in between pants as I swabbed his cuts with alcohol to avoid an infection.

"Nah," I replied, "I've just had my ass beat enough to know how to deal with injuries like these." His mouth closed, probably to prevent him from saying something dumb, and he just nodded sagely. Although he had never personally bullied me before, I knew for certain that he was the type to believe those shitty rumors and propagate stories about me, which was made clear by the expression of guilt that was quite literally radiating off his face. After a bit more work, I clapped him on the back and sent him on his way.

"Yo, Hikigaya?"

"What's up?"

"You're a lifesaver, man. Thank you. I really mean that. If it wasn't for you, who knows what those guys would've done?"

"Don't mention it." I averted my eyes and grumbled the last sentence out painfully. With a nod, he stepped off our porch and headed home.

* * *

(1) The high school Orimoto attends in the series proper

(2) Monogatari series reference

(3) Sasuga is a Japanese word that basically means "well done" or "just as expected from you"

**AN: **So how do you guys like the turn this story has taken? I decided to make a write a longer chapter. Let me know if you prefer this or the shorter bursts I usually upload. One of my reviewers mentioned that he thought it was clearly a Yukino ship in this fic, and I do want to say that I haven't actually decided on who Hachiman will end up with. However, the loner ending won't be an option. I want to give all of the characters some good, realistic development, and I've been trying with these recent chapters. Next up is going to be the first game! I wonder if anything *unusual* will happen, haha. If you have any questions about me or the story in general, don't hesitate to ask! As always, leave feedback in the reviews and thank you for reading :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Atlas' Burden

Math class. The bane of my existence. The only weapon that formed against me shall prosper (1). As I slouched in my seat, only half-pretending to pay attention to Koro-sensei's (2) droning voice, my eyes were actively scanning the class, looking for anything to entertain my mind for the last half-hour of class. Yuigahama's risqué outfit would usually provide me with enough to "think" about, and the same was true today, but I was in the mood for something a little unorthodox. As I stared at the seat in front of me, the back of Totsuka's angelic head made my heart swell in a way that shouldn't be humanly possible. If only he wasn't a trap…

_Bzzt._

Wassat? Oh, it's just my phone. I get a text for the first time in God knows how many weeks and it _must_ be at the worst possible time. Why does this cruel world refuse to let a man indulge in his fantasies?

I unlocked my phone under my desk, ready to snap at whoever had the gall to disturb me in the middle of class, especially when I was enjoying the view rather vigorously. Oh, damn, it was just the soccer team's group message.

What was that? You're wondering why I'm in a group message? Yeah, so did I at first. I was confused as all hell when Hayama walked up to me with his phone out after Tuesday's practice.

"Unfortunately, I already have your number, Hayama. What else do you want?"

"Well, Hikigaya-kun, there's actually a LINE chat for all of the members of the soccer team. I think you should-"

"Absolutely not. Do I look like the type of person who goes out of their way to socialize? When I'm not around the team, I don't want to be bothered by the presence of these normies."

"Hikigaya, let me finish. I need to have a way to contact everyone if practice times are changed, lineups are adjusted, or anyone is injured, amongst other things. It would be extremely inconvenient if I have to individually send you a text every time something along these lines happens. You don't have to talk to anyone if you don't want to, but at least show some sort of teamsmanship. Please."

"Teamsmanship? You sound like a corporate asshat who makes the whole office do icebreakers when someone's hired. But anyways, you can add me if you really think it's important, just don't expect me to talk much."

And that's how Hayama coaxed me into this trap. I finally checked the message, which made me jump out of my seat.

"Hikigaya! Hand over your phone at once! I can't believe the disrespect here, using your phone AND distracting the entire class from my lecture. Can't you see how focused everyone is?"

What I _wanted _to say was, "No, idiot. Yuigahama and her group are discussing what they're going to wear to Karaoke on Friday night, Hayama just sent the message that made me jump, Saki is looking up prep school scholarships, Sagami is filing her nails, and all the other normies look bored out of their minds. Maybe if you had an ounce of teaching skill, someone would actually give a shit about your stupid lesson."

What I _actually_ said was, "My apologies. It won't happen again." I gritted my teeth through the entire exchange, feeling every atom in my body reject the exchange. However, I couldn't go and get myself stuck in detention today. It was Thursday, which meant we'd be playing Sougou High today. There was no way I could miss out over a stupid reason like that. And before you get confused and think I actually care about the stupid team, I just want to avoid getting my ass beat by the other jocks over it, and I'm pretty sure that if I miss more than two games, my recommendation is pulled for "lack of attendance."

I stood up and handed my phone over to Koro-sensei, my mind still lingering on Hayama's message from earlier. I stared back at him and he offered an apologetic grimace, but also mouthed "good luck". Yeah, his message said that I was going to be the starting keeper for today's match. Apparently, Tachibana won't be cleared to play until next Tuesday thanks to his broken nose, which means I'll be between the goalposts today and on Saturday. My teammates reacted in various ways, from Ichiban sending, "don't mess this up, dipshit" to some first-years trying to ass-kiss with, "Good luck, Hikigaya-senpai! UwU" and others ignoring me entirely, instead offering well wishes for Tachibana's recovery.

Whatever. Their reactions are irrelevant anyways. I only need to concern myself with not making a total fool out of myself on the field tonight. I stretched, letting my clothes tighten against the lean frame I've been building for the past eight weeks. I won't lie; it was a liberating feeling, looking in the mirror and seeing a uniform that contoured to my features instead of hanging limply on my body. I could almost see why all those jocks are so obnoxiously confident.

As I mentally admired my new figure, the bell for lunch rang, and I lazily rose from my seat and pushed the chair in against the desk. Time to slither over to my secret lunch spot on the steps behind the school.

"Uhh, Hikki…" _Nevermind_. I looked up to see Yui Yuigahama approach me with the apprehensive look she always wore when talking to me about something uncomfortable. I do wish she would smile more nowadays. It was a shame, piling so much stress on such a pretty face.

"Yo." I replied pensively.

"D-do you think we could eat lunch together today? I kind of wanted to talk to you about something," she kept her eyes glued to my shoes and tapped her fingers together absentmindedly. Normally, just about any guy would be ready to collapse from an overdose of cuteness. However, Hikigaya Hachiman was too coldhearted to be swayed by such pedestrian measures of persuasion. That doesn't mean I didn't take her up on the offer anyways, though.

"Sure."

"Okay! Let's sit at your secret spot. I don't really want anyone to hear us."

Hm. She probably has some gossip about Yukinoshita or something, or how she needs help choosing an outfit and needs me to go to the mall with her. I will admit that going out with Yuigahama was anything but unenjoyable, though. Her quirky nature and aggressive attitude truly lent itself to being free entertainment. Most of all, she was so kind and well-meaning that she kind of rubbed off on anyone who spent an extensive amount of time around her.

As we traversed through the halls of Soubu and finally found our way outside onto the steps, we were greeted immediately with gusts of wind. The fall breeze was picking up, albeit ever so slightly. In the warm rays of the sun, it was a blessing. Sometimes I just wished I could sit on those steps forever, undisturbed by the inconveniences of life.

"Uh, Hikki, has anything been on your mind recently?" She started the conversation without beating around the bush. That was unexpected.

"Not really, other than the stupid soccer team and college exams. Same as anyone else, I guess."

"Soccer? I didn't think it was that important to be the first thing you mentioned, hehe."

"Well, it's not, but I'm going to be the starting goalkeeper today against Sougou, so I've been kind of troubled by that."

"Eh? You're actually going to play? When is it? Where? I should've known, everyone was talking about how beat up Tachibana looked. Did you get a chance to see his face yet?"

"Yes, I am, figure out those details for yourself, and I saw his face pretty well, considering that I'm the one who stopped those thugs from beating him up any more than they did." With that last sentence, her mouth opened into a capital "O", before settling down into a miniature frown.

"You know, I should've expected that when I heard him say that his savior wanted to remain anonymous. That's just like you, Hikki - always saving people at your own expense. You could've let them hurt him a bit more to guarantee yourself the right to start today's match, but you didn't. I see, though. That explains why your face had such a hard look today."

"Why the hell would I do that? I told you, I don't care about the team, so I wouldn't let someone get seriously hurt on my watch because of some superficial reason like that. And what do you mean by 'hard look'?"

"Well, Hikki," Yuigahama began before resting her cheek on her hand and thinking for a bit. "Your eyes always have this sort of drab appearance, like they're constantly disinterested. They only flash when you look at Sai-chan, for some reason. But today, after Koro-sensei took your phone, I could see fire in your eyes. You looked really focused. It's the same look you had when you confessed to Ebina to save Tobe. Whenever you look like that, it's like you're thinking on a whole 'nother level from the rest of us, you know? I just wanted to know why, but you answered that for me. I guess the soccer team really does matter to you, ne, Hikki?"

"Stop with your crack theories. What is this, a shitty sports manga?" I looked away as I said that. If I was being completely honest with myself, she was closer to the mark than I cared to admit. But I also knew that could change in the blink of an eye. Just one mistake on my end would make me hated once more, and the team would abandon me like every other group I've been a part of in my life. I wasn't going to fool myself into thinking our team was a brotherhood. It was a mutually beneficial relationship, that was all. They receive my effort on the field in exchange for the recommendation I sorely need.

"Whatever you say, Hikki." She responded with a wink and an adorable smile. She stood up and brushed herself off, then turned on one heel and began walking back to the school building. After a few steps, she stopped. Without turning around, she muttered in a voice so soft I could hardly hear, "I'll be cheering you on at the game tonight, so don't mess up, okay?"

I yelled an affirmation that startled her, making her sprint back to the school doors. She was probably hoping against hope that I wouldn't hear that. Eh, it's not like I'll have much time to focus on a crowd. I've never really had a girl cheer me on at a sports game, but I can't imagine it being much different from someone encouraging you normally. After giving the topic a bit more thought while I chewed on my bento, I walked back inside and prepared for the rest of the school day.

* * *

"Boys, it's time. We're 3-0-1 right now, and today it's time to turn that three into a four. I'm sure you all know that if we succeed tonight, we take full control of the top spot in the league standings, and we get to improve our seed for Kokuritsu. I don't think I need anything else to fire you guys up, but we'll do our chant anyway. On my go, everyone begins. Ready, set, GO!"

"S-O-U-B-U! WHO ARE WE? SOUBU? WHO ARE WE? SOUBU? WHO ARE WE? SOUBU?" (3) Hayama's booming voice led the chant of twenty bloodthirsty high-schoolers who were raring to go against Sougou. Today's match was a double whammy: we were playing against our biggest cross-town rival who also happened to share our position as the top team in the current league standings. Naturally, this had to be the first game in which I get some meaningful playtime. It seems like the sports gods are just as cruel to me as the romcom gods are.

Hayama pulled me aside as the rest of the team began their pre-game rituals, from changing in specific way, to listening to special songs, with some even jabbing themselves in the chest and screaming "EIGTH GATE OF DEATH: RELEASE!" (4)

"Look, Hikigaya, I know this isn't the best game for you to get your first experience as a starter, but I want you to stay as calm as possible. If there's one thing I can count on you for, it's staying logical and not making the dumb play. Make sure you communicate with the defense, too. Sougou is going to take advantage of our aggressive play style. They know we're going to be at full speed, and they'll try to counteract with sneaky plays and through balls to get around the defense. Take notice and call attention to these things. I'm putting my trust in you, so don't let me down." He then bowed to me, an abnormal sign of respect that threw me off. I could tell from the pleading look in his eyes that he wasn't wearing a mask, either. He truly was leaving himself at my mercy.

I'm a lot of things. I'm a loser, a loner, an asshole, and an antisocial bastard. Still, I'm not enough of an asshole to spit in the face of someone who genuinely needed my help. "Alright," I groaned, putting enough into the word to make it clear that I don't want to do this.

"I'm in your debt, Hikigaya-sama!" Hayama was really laying it on thick.

"Stop kissing my ass. It doesn't matter if I earn a clean sheet unless you score some goals up top. Get ready for the match, we don't have much time."

He agreed and sauntered away to meet with the rest of the forwards, who were performing a group stretch. Since Tachibana obviously wasn't available, and the third-team goalkeeper was some no-name first year who was only traveling with the official team because of my promotion, I was preparing for the game by my lonesome. Not that I expected otherwise.

After a final set of toe touches, Hayama gave us the signal to walk out. He would be in front, as team captain, and I would be next, as the starting goalkeeper. As we lined up across from Sougou's team, the fireworks began instantly. Expletives, insults, and threats were hurled across the tunnel as each team attempted to intimidate the other into submission. As for me, I was completely tuned out from the crowd. I focused on different save maneuvers, reading the feet of opposing forwards, and positioning for set pieces.

We slowly filed out onto the field to the tune of roughly 750 spectators roaring a mixture of cheers and boos. With the fanbases split about evenly based on the shirt colors in the crowd, I could already tell the game's atmosphere was going to be intoxicating in the best way. Although I'd never experienced it firsthand, I knew that having a group of people watching your every move was a great feeling, no matter the team they pledged allegiance too. Above the noise of the crowd, however, I could pick out a few distinct voices.

"Do your best, Hachiman!" Yeah, that was Totsuka.

"Defeat the infidels and reign supreme over this holy playing field, my brother in arms!" Zaimokuza? I'm guessing Yuigahama invited him. That was a nice touch on her part.

"Hikki! You better not let any goals in!" Yuigahama. That was about all the support I could expect, and I was satisfied that someone actually turned up for me, although it would've been even better if Komachi came. Oh well, maybe next ti-

"Hikigaya-kun. I expect nothing but the most inspired performance from you, although I know that may be difficult to ask from someone as apathetic as yourself. Please avoid being the deadweight that you usually are." That soft voice somehow found its way to my ears through a symphony of screams, horns, and cheers. I knew exactly who that voice belonged to. My eyes darted to the left, and I saw Yukinoshita standing in the third row, wearing her hair in a ponytail that showed off her jawline and pearl earrings. Next to her was Haruno. Why _she_ would be here, I have no idea. She smirked and mouthed "we'll talk after" as I rolled my eyes at her presence. _Great, something else to worry about_. I just hoped she wouldn't be as invasive as usual.

Directly in front of them, however, was a sight that was even more peculiar. Kaori Orimoto was in the front row, surrounding by a gaggle of other girls that I could only assume were part of her popular girl clique. That wasn't the confusing part; after all, it was only normal for her to be here, and I remember her mentioning it to me before. What threw me off was the expression she made as she locked her eyes directly onto mine. It was a fusion of shock and hunger, tied together with a mischievous grin that was terrifying, to be honest. Even more shocking was the sentence that came out of her mouth next.

"You know, Hikigaya-kun, I didn't think your soccer uniform would make you look THAT sexy! Make sure you give me a call tonight, hehe." She looked around at her group of girlfriends, each of them giving her a high-five and some words of encouragement. If you want my expert take, I'd guess that she was planning to say that no matter how I looked, even if her facial expression looked genuine. I don't know if she wanted to embarrass me or throw me off my game or what, but she should've known that I'm used to girls playing with my emotions. I tossed the encounter into the _Things to Think About Later_ basket in my mind and erased her from my thoughts.

Well, between the Yukinoshitas and Orimoto, that was mentally taxing enough. It was time to retire to my post and prepare for the beginning of the game. At least that was I thought before a certain team manager sprinted over to me with an inquisitive look on her face.

"Ne, Senpai, since when did you have a girlfriend? _Gasp_, should I tell her about how you never stop hitting on me? Also, do Yukinoshita-senpai and Yuigahama-senpai know about this?" She battered me with questions when she should've been filling the water bottles for substitutes and the halftime break. Typical Iroha.

"No, she's the girl from the Christmas Event, remember? The one on their student council. She's just trying to tease me. Anyways, do you mind getting off my case so I can get ready for the match?"

"Haii." She retreated for the time being, eyes still locked on me. I didn't return the gaze, instead looking at the referee, who raised his thumb, the universal sign for "Are you ready to begin?" I flicked my thumb up in response, and so did the opposing keeper. With that, the official blew his whistle, and the game was underway.

* * *

At the half, we were up 1-0. Ichiban navigated around two defenders on the left wing before whipping in an exquisite cross to the center of the box, which Hayama settled and finished calmly with his right foot. Our defense was playing ferociously, so they only had two shots on target, both of which were long-rangers that were fairly simple to corral. However, I could by the looks on their faces that my line wasn't going to be able to keep this up for the full length of the game. I roughly estimated that I'd probably need to take over in the last fifteen minutes to prevent Sougou from converting their attacks.

Hayama gathered us back in the locker room for his quick halftime notes before we resumed play. "First, I think the defense has been playing incredible, so everyone should make themselves aware of that," he began, flicking through some index cards with his thoughts written on them. As expected of a top student. "Hikigaya, you did well with the limited opportunities you had, but you should expect the opposition to come down a lot harder in the second half, especially since they're down a goal." I nodded in response, flexing my muscles as blood began to course through them at full speed. The adrenaline was a nice feeling. "Midfield, you should sit a bit deeper and help out the defense in the area near the end of the first third. Try to feed us some longer balls to tire their defenders out. If they want possession, make them earn it. Forwards, spread and push their line wide. Create space and give me the ball in the middle when you draw enough defenders. Play smart and don't take any stupid risks. More goals would be great, but we just have to hold our lead for now."

His concise and matter-of-fact way of speaking was oddly more motivating than the rambunctious, disjointed speeches that most captains offered their teams at halftime. It calmed me down and I felt truly ready to lock down the goal from post to post.

"Everyone, we've done well so far. Don't forget what this game means, and most importantly, WIN!" That marked the conclusion of Hayama's notes, and we shuffled back out into our formation on the field. The referee's ritual repeated and once again, the game was called into play.

This half had a tangibly different atmosphere. Whereas the first part of the game was exploratory, full of players finding and attacking the chinks in the other team's armor, this was tense and calculated. Each team was trying to cover the weaknesses they showed in the first half without allowing new ones to pop up, while also doing their best to find the mistakes in the opponent's playing style. For the first twenty minutes of the second half, the ball seldom left the middle third of the pitch. For most observers, this would seem like a boring and pointless exercise, but this was really the mark of a match between two strong teams. Neither could break the other's stronghold, so they played small ball in the center of the field to look for miniature weaknesses that could change the tide of the game.

The first breakthrough went to Soubu, when our right-winger Jinsou decided to take a small risk and try to skillfully pass through three defenders. Although he made it through two of them, the third tripped him up to avoid a one-on-one with the keeper, resulting in a yellow card and direct free kick for Hayama. He aimed it expertly at the upper corner of the goal, but the Sougou keeper anticipated the shot, and swiftly batted it away with a gloved hand. After that, the field was quiet until the 80th minute.

I noticed Sougou's attackers creeping dangerously close to an offsides position, indicating that they were planning a counterattack. "Get back! Settle in deeper!" I yelled to my defensive line. They took a few steps but were too tired to make a beeline toward me. Just as I expected. That mixed with the fact that they were clearly not in favor of receiving orders from me made it clear that they weren't going to be much help. Thus, I wasn't exactly surprised when I saw a Sougou midfielder lift an admittedly fantastic ball over our defensive line into the path of their center forward, who was clearly anticipating the through pass. Looking around, I could see that I was in a one-on-one position with the attacker forty yards away and rapidly closing in. My instincts took over my body and I sprinted at him at full speed, holding my arms out to minimize the angle at which he could shoot around me. The moment of truth arrived when he slid just outside the eighteen-yard box, hoping to chip the ball over me.

I couldn't let myself be embarrassed like that. There was just no way. The team wasn't going to be let down from my weakness. I dove at the ball, conveniently forgetting that my hands were no longer able to legally touch it outside of the box. However, just as I got a finger on it, the Sougou attacker decided to play dirty and continue his slide directly into my waist, knocking the wind out of me. As I wheezed on the grass, trying to ignore the pain of his cleats ripping into my skin, the referee's whistle could be heard faintly amongst the fanfare of the crowd.

I was flipped over by none other than Ichiban, who for some reason rushed over to check on me. "Are you good, you idiot? Why would you dive into his legs like that? Be a little smarter when you go for the ball!"

"I'm fine," I managed to push out of my lips as I struggled to my feet. Once my breath was back, I'd be able to hold it together for the last few minutes of the match. More troubling was the issue of me illegally hitting the ball with my hand. I didn't know if the referee noticed it, but I could be ejected from the game for an offense like that. Looking directly at him, he just asked if I could continue playing before giving the Sougou player a yellow card and cautioning him against any further foul play. It felt wrong. I didn't want to get away with doing something wrong. I wanted to win the match the right way.

I stopped the referee in the middle of his lecture. "But I touched the ball with my hands outside the box," I whispered, hoping that he would somehow ignore me and I could justify that I tried to catch his attention without actually doing so.

Unfortunately, I was not so lucky. "I didn't see you touch anything. That was just a bad miss and a dirty slide."

"No, I hit the ball with my hands just when he started sliding. You should send me off and award them the ball."

The team looked at me like I had a dunce cap on my head. They were right, too; what am I doing? Throwing away our chance to win the game over something stupid like chivalry or minute integrity? Nevertheless, I knew I'd never be able to live this match down if it was won in such an unfair manner.

"Hikigaya-kun, there's no need to lie. You don't need to make him feel better or anything." "Dumbass, just keep your mouth shut!" "Hikigaya-senpai, don't say things like that!" The team surrounded me with pleads to retract my statement, but I paid it no mind.

The referee looked into my eyes, and with that he knew I was completely serious.

"Very well. For your honesty, I won't card you, but I'm giving a direct free kick to the attacking team at the 21-yard line. This is a foul against Soubu High!"

I could feel the burning glare of each of my teammates boring a hole into the back of my head, but I paid them no mind. I was used to this. I knew right when I joined. I'd always be a loner no matter what, and this just cemented my fate.

I stood in the goal with a wall of four defenders in front of me, blocking the shooter's view. He took three steps back and two to the left, mimicking Cristiano Ronaldo with patented accuracy. I crouched, positioning myself to the left, praying for him to shoot away from the wall and into my sphere of influence. I watched his eyes and feet as he wound up, stepped forward, and shot the ball _over_ the wall, aiming for corner opposite to where I was standing. As I noticed his foot position, I started running at full burst, faster than I ever had in my entire life.

As the ball pirouetted in mid-air, it looked beautiful. The sun's light bounced off it at every angle, giving it an ethereal quality that would've made me stop to admire if the circumstances were different. Here, though, it was my job to end that ball's path. I took my last step and dove, my gloved hand outstretched past the limits I thought it had. In slow motion, the ball rolled, and rolled, and rolled in the air toward my fingers. Just as I reached its destination, it dipped, smacking the underside of my palm and burying itself in the net.

1-1.

I was on the floor, splayed pathetically after my failed attempt at a diving save. I stared at the ball and threw it at the celebrating Sougou players, ensuring that I'd get a behavioral sanction sometime this week. As usual, I let everyone down. As usual, I was the weak link. As usual, I was going to be kicked while I was down.

I looked up and saw Hayama's disappointed face staring back at me. He pulled me up and only had one word for me: "Why?"

The crowd was in shock from the events of the past few minutes. I looked around for the people who were supporting me, but all of them had the same crestfallen expression that could only remind me of my least favorite emotion of all: pity.

After a few more uninspired passes, the game was officially sent to its grave and the team piled into the locker room. As soon as I walked in and started untying my cleats, a punch glanced the side of my face. Soon after, it was followed by another, and then another. It wasn't just one person, it was most of the third-years. I knew the jocks were going to have a field day with me when the game was over, which was why I didn't show any reaction to the beating they were laying down on every inch of my body. I just curled up on the floor for protection, hoping that I could just go home and wallow in bed soon.

"What're you guys doing! Get off him, you idiots!" Hayama? No, it wasn't his voice. Either way, I knew Hayama didn't have the balls to stop something like this by himself. He was too scared of angering people to sincerely take a stand for me, even if he wanted to. No, I looked up to see a face that looked oddly similar to mine right now. A clone? No, it was a teammate. Tachibana! He grimaced and pushed the other players off me. They wouldn't dare hit him in his injured state, and he was the one guy on the team who would probably be able to crush all of them when healthy anyway.

"Hikigaya's a good guy. I saw what happened and I would've done the same thing. You assholes wanted to cheat your way to victory? Is that what Soubu's team is? Is that what we stand for? I thought you were better than the scrubs who beat my ass, but you're even worse. At least they wouldn't raise their hands to their own teammates. Don't expect any mercy from me once I get back on the field."

Hm, a saving grace. Definitely not something I expected. Still, it was only because I saved his ass. He couldn't give less of a shit about me, but his guilty conscious made him act up. He was just repaying his debt and that was all. I stood up and didn't even bother changing. I just switched shoes and tossed my cleats into my bag and walked out. I didn't want to ride the bus back with those dicks either. As expected from Hikigaya Hachiman, I wanted to be alone.

I could hear Hayama's voice pleading with me to come back and telling off the other players, yelling that they'd have to apologize tomorrow at practice. Tomorrow at practice? Who was he fooling? I'm done. That recommendation could kiss my ass. The soccer team was exactly as I expected: a bunch of pompous shit-ons who thought they ran the school because girls came to the games. I trudged out behind the field toward the school parking lot and started my trip home. I looked back at the stadium and saw the expectant faces of a few women, all beautiful (especially Totsuka), staring at me. Their mouths opened in unison when they saw the blood on my face and left eye that was already swelling shut. I only offered a sideways shake of the head and started my journey home. I wasn't in the mood for anyone.

Finally, I unlocked my front door, walked upstairs, and collapsed on my bed. Komachi was studying with Kawasaki's bean-sprout little brother and both of my parents were engaging in the corporate slave lifestyle. Looking back on today's events, everything happened just as I expected. I lost so others would gain. I saved everyone's dignity and integrity and granted Sougou the result they wanted in exchange for irreversibly ostracizing myself from the rest of the team. Man, life is shit.

To be fair, things like this always happened to people like me. Until I die, I will always be unlucky. Things will never go my way. I'll always be a laughingstock, never to be taken seriously. Who was I kidding when I thought I found a connection with this group of guys? They were normal high-schoolers after all, and I knew better than anyone that I'd never find solace in a group of _riajuu_(5).

More than anything else, I just felt low. I felt like the dirt on the bottom of my shoes. I wished I had the courage to do something about it, but change is nigh impossible for a stubborn loner like me. I'd just have to keep moving on for their sake and deal with the inevitable flow of life.

I wonder if I can use my injuries as an excuse to skip school tomorrow.

* * *

(1) Reference to a popular phrase in the Bible.

(2) Assassination Classroom reference.

(3) I don't really know any Japanese team chants, so I repurposed a chant my team used back in High School.

(4) Naruto reference.

(5) Japanese word that roughly translates to "normie."

**AN:** Super long chapter for you guys! I hope you like the story's direction so far. The ending seems a bit out of left field but in my interpretation of Hachiman, I feel like his self-sacrifice comes from a mixture of a strong sense of justice and low self-esteem that sort of blends with depression at times. I hope it's not too out of character for you guys. If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to leave a review. Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

_Ow._

My face hurts. Scratch that, it _kills_. As memories from last night began piecing themselves together in my brain, questions began to form as well. For example, why did I overcomplicate things and give the other team a chance to win? Why did those assholes take a high school soccer game so seriously? Why did Tachibana stick his neck out for me? And most importantly, why was this eating at me more than anything else I've ever experienced?

That last question was the most troubling. From the debacle with Sagami to the false confession to Ebina, I've never really cared much about the negative consequences of my actions. I'm already at the bottom of the social pyramid; nothing anyone says or does to me could make things worse. For some reason though, the soccer team felt _different_. I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but the ecosystem in that locker room felt like a whole other world from Soubu as a whole.

Wait.

It can't be… is this what they call brotherhood? The vile institution I've sworn off? There's no way. I, Hachiman Hikigaya, definitely did not like any of those normies. I definitely did not enjoy being called senpai by those scrub first years. And I definitely would never, EVER, like being on a team captained by _Hayama_, of all people.

But I'm won't lie to myself. I guess I truly felt a connection with the soccer team, no matter how little I actually interacted with my fellow players over the past couple of months. Realizing that only made the bruises on my face throb harder and the cut under my eye sting with more intensity. Nevertheless, it was something I needed to come to terms with. I'd dropped the ball and missed out on one of my only chances at actually having friends in high school.

Whatever. I rubbed the bleariness out of my eyes and finally rolled over to start the day when I was greeted with a pair of slanted lavender eyes. They were oddly familiar and way too close for comfort. I let out a strangled "bleh?!" and scrambled back to the other side of my bed, only to be greeted with something much more terrifying. As the full figure of those eyes came into view, I realized that Haruno Yukinoshita was in my room.

"Yahallo!" The greeting felt fake coming off of her lips, but I could tell she really did want to see me today. For what, I'm not sure.

"Who let you in? Why are you here?" I cut to the chase instantly. I'm bad at small talk with normal people, but small talk with Haruno is deadly. She can find a way to diagnose your personality and draw out your insecurities with frightening speed, even if you think you're having a completely mundane conversation.

"Komachi-chan left me a key when I tried to visit last night. Don't worry, I'll leave it on the kitchen table when I'm done here. She said that it's payback for her not telling your mother that you came home bloody and bruised last night. She's a cute one—you should take care not to lose her. As for why I'm here, well, you should already know."

"Please enlighten me."

"Didn't I tell you before the game last night that we needed to talk? Since you went and got your ass beat because you wanted to be a hero, I couldn't get in contact with you until now. I assume Yukino-chan and Gahama-chan will come visit later today, along with that kouhai of yours and the weirdo who was sitting in front of us. Since I don't have to worry about juvenile things like high school classes, I thought I'd visit you first."

"I appreciate you giving me a rundown of what I assume will be my schedule for today, but that still doesn't answer my question." I spat with venom, hoping to pierce the mask that was the stupid grin hanging on her face.

Instead, she let out a hearty laugh, one that sounded like the tinkling notes of a spring waterfall gushing after the year's first snowmelt. I guess that explains her namesake (1). It was a beautiful noise, no doubt one that many men fall in love with on a daily basis. However, I, Hikigaya Hachiman, am above such petty forms of coercion. I will exercise resistance to the undoubtedly sexy laugh coming from Haruno's throat, along with all of the _other_ ridiculously attractive parts of her.

"Hikigaya-kun, you're so funny! This is why you're my favorite friend of Yukino-chan's. It's kind of funny that this is where you sleep. Your room is so spartan, except for all these light novels on your shelves. You know, I wouldn't mind spending a night here, if you're interested."

"Please stop right there. I don't know if I can take any more of your shitty flirting. At least show me some respect and put a bit more effort into it."

"Fine, I'll be serious, if you want it so badly." Her trademark smirk melted and was replaced by a stoic glare that saw through me to my core. "Frankly, I think you need to make up your mind. It's cute that you're playing a sport and you're pretending to study all day, but both of us know that's bullshit. You're leading Yukino-chan and everyone else on. It's none of my concern how you treat the rest of your little harem, but I can't let you keep stepping all over her."

"Stepping over her? What's wrong with wanting more time to think about what I want? You know that I'm the last person to just jump into a relationship without considering the consequences, and I'm pretty sure Yukinoshita doesn't want that either."

"Don't try to dodge the subject, Hikigaya-kun. You're not even thinking about her feelings. I spent the entirety of last year pushing her to go out on a limb and chase what she loves, and this is not what I want her to get out of it. By leading her on and keeping her on hold for all this time, you're just reinforcing her view that sharing feelings is a meaningless exercise. Stop kidding yourself. If you can't commit to her, then make it clear. I expect a decision before you graduate. That should be more than enough notice for you to make up your mind."

With that, she sauntered to the door, but before she was out of my sight, she turned on her heel and beamed at me with a megawatt smile. "By the way, Hikigaya-kunnn" the honorific rolled off her tongue lasciviously, "If you decide that your tastes are more, hmm, _developed_ than you originally thought, your favorite onee-san would just _love_ to take you for herself." Her eyes were heavily lidded, and I swear the neckline on her shirt was not that low thirty seconds ago. My small but instinctive vocal side was practically begging me to say, "Yes please!" but I was able to wrestle enough control over my mind to let out a mumbled "not a chance," before turning around to hide the blush on my face.

"Whatever you say, but just know that if you don't make a decision for yourself by graduation, I'll make one for you hehe…" I didn't like how that was said, and even though I couldn't see her face, I could imagine the expression she was making.

_Shit_. Meeting with Haruno was enough to convince me that this entire day was going to be full of mishaps and inconveniences that I really didn't want to be a part of. I checked the alarm on my bedside table to see that it was still only noon, meaning that I had about three hours to prepare for any visits from my classmates.

Since Komachi covered for me last night, I could only assume that she was in class and that neither of my parents stayed back to look after me. We'll probably have a long conversation tonight when they finished work, but that's something I'll worry about in a few hours. More importantly, the task at hand is preparing a story for the battery of questions Yukinoshita is going to send at me and for Yuigahama's incessant pouts which would probably be too cute for me to handle. Oh shit, I also needed to figure out a better hiding spot for those magaz—

_Knock knock._ Wait. I don't remember ordering anything from Amazon recently. My parents are too technologically illiterate for that either. Komachi didn't have access to a credit card to order stuff either. Unfortunately, this meant the only person who could be knocking on our door is a visitor. See, this was possibly the last thing I wanted. If it was a relative, they'd squeal to my parents about the state I was in, and I truly don't have the patience to deal with any door-to-door salesmen right now.

_Knock knock_. Again? My God, this person was incessant.

"I'm coming, just wait a second!" I yelled while sliding down the stairs and jumping over to the front door.

I regret forgetting to look through the peephole, because as soon as I undid the deadbolt and opened the door, I was greeted with Yukinoshita and Yuigahama's concerned faces. _Shit_! I took a deep breath and turned the handle, only for the door to be shoved open instantly. Both of their (admittedly cute) pouts were aimed at me at full blast. _If looks could kill…_,I thought.

"Wait, aren't you guys supposed to be in class?"

"Yes, I suppose," Yukinoshita started, "But Hiratsuka-sensei gave us license to come see if you needed assistance with anything. We also brought the day's handouts." Yuigahama nodded vigorously in agreement, as if that added credibility to Yukinoshita's statements.

"Yeah! Also, what happened? We asked Hayama-kun, but he was tight-lipped about it. He seemed pretty mad today, too. Was it some of the Sougou kids? I knew they would try something nasty like that!" Yuigahama offered her interpretation of events, which ironically were extremely far from the truth.

More importantly, it was intriguing to find out that nobody from the soccer team leaked what truly happened in the locker room. Yuigahama would've definitely heard about some juicy gossip like that—she's too popular not to. I prefer it that way though; at least I won't get any false pity from people who actually couldn't care less about me.

Since I felt like they deserved to know, I recounted the entirety of the past week's events, from me watching Tachibana getting his shit kicked in to Tachibana walking in on me getting _my_ shit kicked in. A myriad of emotions danced across their faces as I explained, from awe to shock to disgust. I knew they wouldn't be happy to hear the truth, but it was a necessity. I couldn't lie to two of my only friends. More importantly, if they found out the truth from someone else, I'd be in deep trouble for lying. Lord knows an angry Yukinoshita is the last thing I want to deal with.

I left out my earlier meeting with Haruno; I was smart enough to pick up on the implied subtext that our discussion was meant to be private. With a short explanation of how I decided to go directly home last night and sleep as quickly as possible, I was done with my explanation. As soon as my lips stopped moving, I could see both of my friends' mouths open and their eyebrows furrowed, which usually wasn't a good sign. I cringed and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting to be insulted for making an ass out of myself, but my ears filled only with echoes of silence.

I slowly opened my eyes to a curious sight. They were both in the same position, frozen like statues. Like balloons ready to burst, their calm exteriors hid a raucous clanging of emotions within. How did I know all this? Well, being told off for having the eyes of a dead fish really makes you start looking at everyone else's eyes more closely, and it turns out that old cliché about the eyes being windows to the soul was true. Right now, I could see anger, disappointment, confusion, and a hint of melancholy. The last thing I expected to see, however, was the fat tear that rolled out of Yukinoshita's sapphire orbs.

Another thing I didn't expect was the surprisingly heavy slap that Yuigahama laid on my face. What the hell's going on? At this rate, you may as well have them both start thumping me and screaming "BAKA BAKA BAKA!" I stumbled back, inadvertently inviting them both inside, and they stomped in angrily, leaving me with no chance to postpone the emotional bloodbath I could feel brewing.

They were both sitting on my couch now, staring intently as I wordlessly made tea in a weak effort to act like a good host. I could feel their gazes boring through the back of my head. I haven't been drilled this hard since finishing _Guren Lagann_ (2).

"Why? Why do you always do this?" Yukinoshita broke the silence first.

"Do what?" I played the idiot game, hoping to tiptoe around the subject for as long as possible.

"You know exactly what. Making yourself the victim for me, sure. Making yourself the victim for Tobe, weird, but I can turn a blind eye. But throwing yourself under the bus to help some random jocks that are directly competing against you? Why do you feel the need to _always_ make yourself worse off for the sake of others?"

She hit it right on the head. Honestly, I don't have a response to that, no matter how much I search. It just made the most sense. Nobody gets mad at a worm for not becoming a butterfly because it can't — why get mad at me for not trying to raise my social status?

"I-"

"Don't say anything, Hikki." Great. Now Yuigahama's going to start. Dealing with one of them would be possible but handling attacks from both angles is a bit beyond my capacities at the moment.

"I know you think I'm an airhead, and sure, I can't understand _No Longer Human_ or _Run, Melos!_ (3) like you or Yukinoshita, but I sure as hell know how to read people. You should've told us about this earlier!"

"And what?" I retorted, anger bubbling in my stomach, "Would you have stopped them from kicking the shit out of me? Would you have changed anything? You can't understand because you're popular. Everyone's always liked you and you've always had friends. Try being the kid who sat alone at lunch every day, or the kid who got his shoes stolen twice a week, or the kid who didn't get chocolate on Valentine's Day from anyone except his mother and sister until his second year of high school!"

I was heaving now, letting out a wave of anger that was built up from the shitstorm of a week I just went through. I know Yuigahama was just trying to be helpful and that she didn't deserve to be snapped at like this, but I just can't bring myself to care anymore.

"Both of you don't understand ANYTHING! You come over here and pity me and try to talk down to me and make me sound like the bad guy for doing what's natural to me, and I'm supposed to agree? What do you want me to do, huh? It's clear that the team hates my guts, in fact I'm sure this would've happened regardless of whether I told the referee the truth." Spittle was flying from my tongue and I could see both pairs of eyes on me widening as I rattled off thoughts like a machine gun.

"Hikki, what're you saying? We just want to help you…"

"Help me? Really? From what? I'm fine the way I am. This is how life is for me. I'm always going to be the bottom feeder. I'm always going to be everyone's least favorite person, and I'm fine with that, so don't come here on your high horse and pretend to be some sort of savior that I never asked you to be. In fact, both of you can leave, if that's what you're here for."

"Hikigaya-kun, don't be disrespectful. This may be a difficult time given recent events, but we need to discuss how you can improve your relationship with your peers to avoid something like this happening aga-"

"GET. OUT." That was the final straw. I'm so sick of everyone acting like there's something wrong with me. Am I really so terrible to everyone else? Actually, I don't want to know the answer to that.

They both stood up and awkwardly shuffled to the door, unsure of what to do. Neither of them wanted to push their luck, and I know my eyes were making it clear how serious I am.

"Tell Iroha not to come here if you see her at school, too. I don't want to deal with anyone else telling me I need to 'change,' whatever that means."

"Please just talk to us, Hikigaya-kun." Yukinoshita's last ditch effort was genuine, to be sure, but it wasn't going to work on me.

"No, I think you should think a bit more about your actions and reconsider what you think you have the right to demand of me. I'll see you both Monday."

With a curt nod, I slammed the door closed and let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding. A wave of regret crashed over me instantly. I snapped at two friends trying to help, alienated maybe the only people who would fight to protect my image (along with Iroha and Sensei), and thanks to all of the yelling, I could feel a splitting headache building in my brain.

Thankfully, I should have the rest of the day alone. With my luck, though, I'd probably have ten more nosy visitors by nighttime. By now, classes were over, but I doubted that Iroha would come. I'm certain that Yukinoshita and Yuigahama will have convinced her otherwise.

_Knock knock._ Damn. Did one of them forget something? There didn't seem to be anything on the couches and neither one of them were irresponsible enough to just leave anything important here. It's possible that someone else from Soubu was here to visit. I guess it is my responsibility to answer them cordially; they are here for my sake, after all.

I unlocked the deadbolt once again and swung the door open to see what middle school Hachiman would've called heaven: Kaori Orimoto at my doorstep with a box of chocolates.

"You sure take a while to answer. What were you doing just now? Nothing nasty, I hope."

"Hello to you too, Orimoto. I appreciate the visit and all, but I'd rather you don't make baseless assumptions like that. More importantly, why are you here?"

"Hehe, to visit you, dummy!"

"I know that. What I'm really asking is why exactly you decided to visit me."

"Well, you didn't call me last night, even though I waited by my phone for two hours after the game finished. I knew that the only way to get in contact with you would be to visit directly, so I looked you up in your high school's directory."

Damn it, betrayed by the computers. I may as well let her in, though. I owe her that for bringing a gift. I stepped aside and gestured for her to step inside. Orimoto flashed a way-too-cheery smile and skipped inside, kicking her shoes off at the door. I was put off by how excited she seemed, but I didn't think much of it. She was always the type to be happy for no good reason.

"So, why did you want me to call you in the first place?" I cut directly to the chase, a trademark of mine if you haven't been able to tell yet.

"Well, are we alone here?" She replied with a nervous grin.

"I'm not sure why that matters, but yeah. Nobody should be home for another couple of hours, and even then it's just Komachi, so she probably won't bother us."

"Perfect," Orimoto purred. I didn't understand the change in tone until I felt myself being backed up into a piece of furniture. You see, what was happening right now was weird. It was unexplainable. It was something I couldn't understand.

Kaori Orimoto was pushing me down onto my couch. She sat down on my chest and grabbed my wrists. Although I could probably break her hold easily, I was too curious to make her move. My brain choosing right now to malfunction horribly is also a very unfortunate turn of events.

After a lot of ingenious planning and usage of my advanced linguistic ability, I was able to squeak out an, "uhh, what?"

"Shhh," Orimoto smiled as she put a finger to my lips. "Just let me talk for now. I think you're going to like what I have to say."

* * *

**AN: **

I have the original AN down below, but first and foremost I want to apologize for going MIA in the past few weeks. I doubt anyone was really waiting on me to update, but if you were, I'm sorry. I moved across the U.S. for college and it took a while to find time and get accustomed to my surroundings.

Hey everyone, thanks for reading! It seems like last chapter has caused quite a stir amongst my readers, lol. That wasn't very surprising. I feel like I owe you guys an explanation, so here goes. Hachiman isn't suicidal. His thoughts on ending his life are more a train of thought stemming from his lazy character traits present in the source material. Obviously, he doesn't really think this way, but I felt like in the situation it would be a logical connection for him to make, blending his laziness and his distaste for the world, which was only heightened by the current events. I also thought that being physically assaulted by his teammates was the only method to actually push him forward as a character. Hachiman doesn't care about what anyone thinks about him or their mean words. I felt like physical pain would affect him more than some insults or isolation. Again, this is a bit of a stretch from canon material but it is a fanfiction, after all. I hope that you understand if you don't like it and continue to read; this is meant to be one of the lowest points in the story anyway, so this sort of ideation won't be _too_ prevalent in the future, especially because it's pretty damn depressing to write. As always, leave a review with your feedback if you want to and thank you for reading 😊


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Fatal Attraction

Holy shit.

Kaori Orimoto is on top of me. Middle school me would be creaming his pants at the sight.

Thankfully, this isn't middle school. Although it took me a moment to gather my thoughts, I was able to shakily brush her hand off my face and turn my gaping mouth into an oddly-positioned grimace.

"What the hell are you doing?" I decided to take the up-front route. It's pretty tough for me to act indignant, though, especially considering that the situation I'm currently in would be considered a dream by most teenage boys. It also didn't help that my body and mind had two different opinions about the situation, which I'm certain Orimoto noticed; mini Hachiman was making his presence known, to say the least.

She looked down and then back up at me, eyes glistening in the soft glow of my living room's lamps. She held her gaze for what felt like an eternity, showing nothing but a slight smirk on her face. My mind continued to rocket at a million miles a minute, calculating every possible outcome. At this point, it was obvious she wanted to drag things on for enhanced effect. It reminded me of those screencaps where people receive a message that just says, "we need to talk…" with no explanation. Of course, nobody texts me enough for me to know what that feels like, but I've seen it on Twitter before.

Finally, Orimoto opened her mouth and let out a soft, lilting laugh. It bubbled out from her throat, carrying well in the silence. She then lifted my left arm and eyed the veins on my wrist, fondly caressing them. I started praying that she wasn't the second coming of Shinobu Oshino (1).

"You see, Hachiman, by the way, it's okay that I call you Hachiman, right?" Before I could open my mouth to respond with a "Hell no," she cut me off and continued talking with a crazed excitement that was half attractive and half terrifying.

"Hehe, that was a rhetorical question, silly! Anyways, before you interrupted me earlier, I was talking about how you never called me last night. You weren't in the hospital or anything, right?"

"Uh, no?" I gave her the truth, although I felt like that was a mistake. I've seen enough anime with Yandere to know where this was going.

"So, then," she whispered to me, "You had no excuse not to call. I'm pretty disappointed in you, Hachimannn" she drew that last syllable out, drawing a wince on my part. I also noticed that she was really close to me. In fact, I don't think I've ever been in such proximity to any girl other than Komachi and Mom. I could see the freckles on her face and count every one of her eyelashes. Her golden irises glistened like honey and I could feel the scent of her shampoo sharply entering my nose. Orimoto was a very pretty girl, there was no doubt about it. She was nice, too. Honestly, I don't really blame myself for falling for her all the way back in middle school. Not to mention, she smelled _really_ good. _Shea butter_, I thought, before snapping out of my daze and remembering the issue at hand.

"Enjoying the view? Actually don't answer that, I know you are. Must be an interesting feeling, right? I know those two girls you're always with never give you this type of action. Anyways, you're probably wondering why I wanted you to call. I just had a few questions for you to answer. Let's just run through them, okay? If you answer them all, I'll give you a reward at the end hehe."

"Uhh, okay?" This was probably the third time I responded with some stupid line like that. You may as well add a dark mop of hair over my face and I'd be a standard hentai protagonist with my creative remarks. I didn't want to sound completely out of it, so I mustered the strength to straighten my back and lightly push her away from my face. "I'll answer your questions, but after that, you're going to have to leave." _There you go, Hachiman_.

"I can tell you don't actually want me to leave, at least your body sure doesn't. But sure, I'll play along with you," she giggled. "So, first question, when and why did you become an athlete?"

"I needed to join a sport to get a recommendation from Soubu for Chibadai (2). Your dream boy Hayama guilt tripped me into choosing soccer. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Well, I don't really care about Hayama anymore. Anyways, we're talking about you, right. Next question, are you in a relationship with any of those girls that were eyeing you like a piece of meat at the game?"

"No, and I have no idea what girls you're talking about." This interrogation was starting to feel less like petty claims court and more like a trial for capital murder (3).

"Don't play dumb. You know those girls all want you. There's the airhead, Class President-chan, Ice Queen-san and even her older sister. Honestly, you've got quite the harem. I kind of like it; it makes the competition so much spicier! More importantly, I have my third question. Who gave you the right," she drawled as her index finger trailed down my arm and across my collarbone, finally resting on my jugular vein, "to start looking like this?"

I decided to play hardball this time. I needed her to come out with whatever her point was and fast, otherwise I would risk Komachi coming home and seeing us. "I've been working out, if that's what you're implying. Usually when you get in shape for a sport, your body changes a bit. I'm not sure why that's my fault or why you should care. Do you mind explaining?"

"Well, it's not just that you look more athletic, although I do like that quite a bit. In middle school, you were so soft. It was unattractive because you had the eyes of a bad boy but didn't have the attitude or the body to match. When we reconnected last year, I could tell that your outlook on life was different, and I thought it was funny and kind of cute. But now, you have this _aura_ around you. You look mean, aggressive, even angry. It's enough to make any girl drool. It's just so damn attractive, sorry for getting a bit carried away hehe." Her eyes were heavily lidded in a way that implied anything but sleepiness. I grimaced as I felt her weave her hands through mine, locking us in an embrace that I wasn't sure I wanted to be part of.

"To be honest, I wanted to hear your voice so badly last night. What really did it for me was your little situation on the field. I thought that the new you would be different, you know. Most guys let any sort of power get to their head and I thought you'd change too. Instead, you showed the same reckless selflessness that you always have. No matter how your attitude or looks change, you'll always be golden on the inside. I don't know why you're so preoccupied with people who won't recognize that."

Orimoto leaned in again and put her hand on my chest. Before I knew it, she was leaning over me, legs straddling my waist. I lost the little power struggle for dominance we were in the middle of and I couldn't do anything to resist. My brain was short-circuiting; I couldn't even come up with a proper response to her harangue of my life. Her eyes were so deeply gold, I could feel myself getting lost in the swirling depths of their honey, forgetting the situation, shutting down mentally. I knew that I should've stopped her, but I honestly had no idea if I really wanted to.

"It just pisses me off, to be honest. I know you have friends and all that, but I want to be a bigger part of your life. I've been paying attention to you over the last few weeks, and I wanted to tell you all this last night, but I think this is an even better opportunity. I guess I can sum my whole reason for coming over with one sentence: Hachiman, please be mine."

With that, she closed her eyes and parted her lips ever so slightly. Even a complete novice like me knew what that meant. In true Hachiman fashion, I did nothing. That's all I could do, anyways. I never make the leap of faith, I never outwardly deny anyone, I just stay indecisive. But see, the problem with not choosing a side is that you give someone else the right to choose it for you. That logic reinforced itself in my brain when I felt Orimoto's hands unclasp from mine and grab my face. It reinforced itself in my brain when I realized her lips were on mine. It reinforced itself in my brain when I couldn't move, only able to focus on the taste of her lips.

Funnily enough, it wasn't anything like the movies and other books described it. Most people talk about their brain melting or losing feeling, or even their body moving on its own. I felt none of those things. Rather, I was taken back to a dark corner of my psyche. All I could see were my thoughts floating around in bolded letters, detaching themselves from my mind and shimmering in front of me. "She doesn't really like you." "It's a trap." "Are you really going to believe that garbage?" "What happened to being alone forever? It's just like you to literally fail at any goal you set for yourself." "Who the hell would look into _those_ eyes and want you?" Ah, I could see it all now. These were the thoughts that haunted me at night. No matter how hard I tried to act like the bullying and teasing and jokes had no effect on me, every spiteful comment kicks these thoughts up in the air like a cloud of dust.

Why was this happening right now? I should be happy; hell, the girl of my dreams for a year was making out with me! But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to feel like this was anything but some joke. It was like we were in the middle of a play and I was waiting for the curtain to be pulled back. I could feel myself slowly receding back into my shell, curling into a ball in my brain to deflect my thoughts. I was drowning under the pressure. I wanted more than anything else to just turn my brain off and go to sleep, but something told me to hold on for just a bit longer.

Suddenly, a flash of light illuminated the area around me. I turned around to see an old-school projector, complete with rolling film and all. On the walls of my psyche I saw a scene begin to replay. First the stars and moon were painted in all their glory, then the mountains and tree line, _Torii_ (4) and shrines, and finally at eye-level, a sea of people in the middle of a festival. It looked fairly similar to all the other festivals I've been to over the last few years with family. I thought the camera was shaky at first, but then I realized from the huffing and puffing noises coming from the machine that the film was from the perspective of someone running at full speed. A sinking feeling started to develop in the pit of my stomach as I realized just what this scene was.

My fears were confirmed when I turned around to see none other than Yukino Yukinoshita. I tried to cover my ears, knowing exactly what she was going to ask me, but her voice still rang loud and clear. Yukinoshita was asking me if I loved her. I wanted so badly to tell her the truth, to tell her what I really believed, but I was mute during that night and I was still mute in this memory. I wanted to tell Yukinoshita that I wasn't scared of turning her down or not loving her, but that I was scared of something much worse; the possibility that my answer to her question could be "yes." I looked up at her face and our times together flashed before my eyes. All the arguments, jokes, Service Club requests, and trips to the mall surfaced and my heart ached for her presence. No matter how much I pretended like I couldn't stand her, she really was special to me.

It was here I realized the dilemma I was currently in. Sure, all of this was happening in my head at lightspeed, but I was still currently making out with a gorgeous girl on my couch who was also giving me the "I think you're wearing way too much" look. For some reason, though, I didn't really want anything to do with Orimoto anymore. Yukinoshita's despondent face from that moment was stuck in my memory, and I realized that I wanted her to be happy so much more than any kind of physical "reward" that Orimoto could give me.

I pulled out of the kiss, shocking Orimoto and causing her to look at me quizzically. "What, you didn't like it?" She asked. I prepared mentally for the shitstorm that was to come from my response and straightened my shoulders.

"Kaori, you're a very nice girl. You're beautiful, caring, and you were everything I ever wanted in middle school. I appreciate that you fell for me and I wish I could reciprocate that, but I can't. I just don't want anything to do with this. It feels wrong and I don't want to pretend to enjoy it just because I should. I'd love to be good friends and you can always call me to hang out, but I can't offer you anything more. I'm sorry."

As soon as I finished my spiel, I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. _Shit_. I knew this was going to happen, but I still wasn't prepared in the slightest. She said nothing but took a deep breath, wiped her face, and pulled herself together. She managed a hoarse "okay" before walking to the front door and putting her shoes on. I watched her open the door and walk out as I remained glued to the couch, shaken up by the prior events. It was disappointing, watching her walk out with no closure. I really did want to be friends with her, just not in that capacity. I'm simply not ready for that.

As she walked out, she poked her head back in the door and stuck her tongue out with a wink before finally sauntering down the driveway for good. _Wow, this is C-tier seasonal anime levels of cliché,_ was my first thought, but I was happy that she didn't seem to be too downtrodden about things. Now I could be left alone with my thoughts to piece the day back together. God knows it was a long one.

* * *

(1) Shinobu is a vampire from the Monogatari Series, one of my favorite anime.

(2) Chibadai is a colloquial term for Chiba University.

(3) Petty claims court is for small civil issues like personal injury.

(4) You probably know Torii as those large red Japanese shrine gates.

Yes, this chapter's title is a reference to the movie.

**AN:** Hey everyone, short update but I just wanted to crank something out before finals week. I've really been in the writing mood for the last month but just now find time. If you're still reading this, I really appreciate it, even if you think this is trash. I've been working a lot in college, but hopefully I'll be back home in about two weeks. I plan on updating again before the year is over and I have a rough outline for the rest of the story. I promise there will be a return to soccer next chapter and it will feature Hachiman's dad!

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to leave a review or PM. Thank you again for reading and have a great day!


	9. Chapter Interlude

Ch. 8.5: Interlude

They say humans are born with only two fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud sounds. Another contender that I think most people would agree with me on is the fear of the dark. Although I'm not afraid to get food from the basement pantry anymore and I no longer scurry up the stairs in fear of being caught in the bloodthirsty claws of an imaginary demon, I'm still not really a fan of the dark. I felt myself becoming ever so aware of this predisposition as I realized that my living room was draped in shadow. The sun's last rays were yielding to the moon and stars, leaving me stained in midnight blue and burnt orange. The girls' visits lasted for so long that I lost track of time. Damn, I need to get back to my room before my parents see my face. Explaining this dilemma is the last thing I want to d-

"Say, Hachiman, who's that cute girl that was just leaving our house just now? Don't tell me you've turned into a smooth operator already! I'll feel responsible for not raising you properly," aaand there goes my dad. Even though neither of my parents were there for me very much during my childhood due to their terrible work schedules, my dad's still a pretty jovial guy. He likes to turn everything into a joke and he lives by the adage "Laughter is the best medicine!" If you can't tell, we're pretty much exact opposites.

I was frozen in my tracks from the moment he started speaking, which was unusual for me. Usually I'd turn around and quip back with some witty one-liner that would totally wound him, but I was absolutely uninterested in being questioned about the state of my face. I did what I do best: I ignored the problem and sprinted up the stairs into my lair. Hopefully Dad would take the hint and leave me alone.

After a few seconds, I could hear the floorboards begin to creak downstairs. Through my fantastic echolocation ability, another one of my 108 Hachiman Skills, I figured he was fixing something to eat in the kitchen, which made sense. Even though he was off work fairly early for once, the likelihood of my mother getting home soon as well was extremely low. Either way, I felt like my mission was successful. After waiting with bated breath for a few more seconds to confirm that my dad wasn't coming upstairs, I flipped open my laptop and tried to focus on this week's episode of Tower of God (1).

Funnily enough, I could no longer hear any noises from the kitchen. I was only about ten minutes into the episode, which was usually about half of the time it usually takes my dad to cook. There is the possibility that Komachi made him a bento beforehand, though. Eh, whatever. That's none of my concern.

Wait. I can see a shadow peeking under my door frame. That's not a good sign. The fact that this shadow was completely still was also unnerving. Normally, my dad would jump into my room and try to surprise me or something. This time, however, I could tell that he was being careful. For me not to notice him and for him to be so quiet was unusual.

"Hachiman?"

"What's up?"

"I need you to come downstairs with me."

Damn. Looks like I was found out. I walked over to the door and turned the knob, doing my best to hide my face without looking suspicious. Nevertheless, I knew that there wasn't much I could do. My dad was giving me an absolute staredown and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what could have turned my face to a bruised, bloody pulp.

We settled down at the kitchen table. Like I guessed, one of Komachi's trademark bento was sitting on the table, still steaming. I'm guessing the commotion from earlier was from him heating it up. As we sat in our seats in awkward silence, I watched him pick at an octopus sausage with a smiley face drawn on it. Trademark Komachi.

"Hachiman, I heard you had a big game yesterday."

"Yeah, I made a mistake that cost us the win, though."

"Don't you think it's the responsibility of everyone on the team? No matter what happened, I don't think it's fair to lay the blame on yourself."

"If you were there, you'd understand."

"Fair enough. More importantly, is your face a consequence of that mistake?"

I see. So he had me in checkmate from the very start (2). I thought that because he hadn't said anything when he came home, he'd just ignore the elephant in the room. I wouldn't have blamed him either. If you were working 70 hours a week just to come home and see your son was dicking around and getting his ass beat, I'd try not to think about it too.

Then again, my dad and I are total opposites.

"Not really, I just fell off my bike on the way back."

"I'm going to just ignore that little story and assume the answer is yes, Hachiman. Komachi told me that you came home bruised and bleeding last night."

What? Komachi isn't the type to lie, and I don't think Haruno would have anything to gain from not telling me the truth.

Wait.

What exactly did Haruno say? "It's payback for not telling your mother." Your _mother_. I guess my sneakiness has rubbed off on Komachi. More importantly, it reaffirmed that my cute little sister was incapable of lying.

Back to the situation at hand, I have to think carefully about my next few lines. It's important to defuse things as quickly as possible.

"To be honest, yeah. It's just a one-time thing though. It's not like I'm getting bullied or anything. It won't happen again. In fact, I'm quitting the soccer team tomorrow." That should be enough to get him off my back for now.

"To be honest, Hachiman, your mother and I have been worried for you even before all this. I'm happy to see that you're changing for the better, what with your new friends and joining a sport, but don't you think you're doing too much?"

How could he say that? Am I such a loner that even _trying_ to be like a normie out of the question for me?

"I'm just trying to go out of my comfort zone, dad. Everyone goes through this sort of thing." I can't afford for him to know the truth. I'm fine with being a loner forever, living at the bottom of society. Truthfully, the only reason I make such stupid decisions like punking out Sagami and confessing to Ebina is because I know that. I can take the brunt of everyone's hate because I can't really sink much lower anyways. As a bottom-feeder in society, it's my responsibility to collect everyone's hate and make the world a better place.

"Hachiman, I feel like you're not telling me something, but that's alright. I don't think it would be right for me to know everything going on in your world, anyways. But, I do think you're having a harder time dealing with people than you think. If I had to guess, you got beaten up not for missing a shot or something, but for making an unpopular decision that pissed people off even more. I'm guessing that you're also stressing over how to manage your new friendships."

"Your mother was always great with people and Komachi inherited that. I think you may have been unfortunate enough to be more like me, though."

More like him? I'm nothing like my dad. He's too happy, too nice, and most importantly, he actually likes people.

"I can see from the look on your face that you don't really believe me. I think if you come over to my room I can show you what I mean."

I strongly doubt that anything my dad shows me would convince me of our similarity, but maybe this would be the defining moment of my life. Perhaps he's hiding a portal to some mysterious world where he's a badass detective or something.

Instead, we're staring at rocks.

Don't get me wrong, the rocks are pretty nice. Granite, obsidian, sandstone, and limestone were all organized in neat little rows. Some rocks were smooth, some hard, some opaque, some crystalline, but they were all unique little worlds in their own way.

Still, I don't really get why my dad showed me this.

"Hachiman, I don't think you remember this since you were so young, but we used to go to the beach pretty often. I used to skip rocks on the shore all day and make sandcastles for you. I still remember seeing you smile and laugh like you didn't have a care in the world. By the time Komachi was born, work picked up and we've only been back a couple of times since, but I kept this collection of the rocks I found on the beach from that time."

"There were a couple reasons for this. One, I wanted a memento of our time as a young family. Two, I liked the rocks and how simple they were." Simple? I'm not really following his train of thought, but my dad isn't the type to beat around the bush.

"Even though rocks go through millions, sometimes billions of years in the geological cycle, you can't really see it. You can only appreciate the finished product. Smooth rocks, crystals, they're all the same. They just let the world's currents take them around."

"People are different. They fight fate, they start problems for no reason, they're both kind and cruel when it makes no sense. I didn't have a ton of friends in high school either, and that lack of experience made it hard for me to understand why people were so complicated."

"I got the shit end of the stick a lot at work, too. I was always stuck doing coffee runs, staying late doing paperwork, and cleaning up other people's messes. Because I knew that I needed to work extra hard to make a good impression given my loner personality, I felt obligated to be everyone's fall guy. Eventually, I got fed up."

"I still needed the job though, so I couldn't really do anything. Deep down inside, I started developing a hatred for humanity. I hated how people were so inconsiderate and how societal norms made life for someone like me a living hell, even though I just wanted to be left alone." I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but I kept my mouth shut, knowing that interrupting my dad was the dumbest thing I could do.

"Everything changed when I met your mother. She was so confident and strong and everyone looked up to her. When she was transferred to my department, I was fully expecting for her to use me as her punching bag at the behest of everyone else. Somehow, though, she realized exactly what was going on. She was a safe haven for me and I started to believe that good people existed again."

"So why the rocks? Simply put, rocks are easier to deal with than people. When I was in my rut, I could look at the rocks, examine their beauty, and nobody would tell me anything. Although I was doing better because your mother and I were married and we had you, it was still difficult to cover up the wounds that were carved into my skin over the course of several years. When I couldn't handle the pressure, I hung out with my nice and predictable rocks."

"I know this sounds stupid, and I haven't touched these in a while, but I just wanted you to know that it's okay to struggle, Hachiman. It's okay to not know what to do. You don't always need to be the fall guy. Even if you don't have a personality that makes you stick out, people will still find you funny and interesting. You just have to open yourself up more. I challenge you to be more honest and upfront with everyone. Don't be adversarial, just make your intentions clear and I think you'll find yourself enjoying life more."

It was at this point that I realized just how much my dad had said. I hadn't quipped back with a snide remark in over twenty minutes. I also became painfully aware of a lump rising in my throat. I never knew how hard it was for him to become the man he is today. I felt embarrassed for writing him off as a simple person without the ability to understand me. Most of all, I felt so happy that someone finally understood me.

I tackled him, letting tears flow from years of suppressed emotions. He patted my back and soothed me with comforting words as I let out all of my anger on him. My face probably looked so ugly; beaten up and puffy, stained purple, eyes full of tears. For some reason, though, I felt so relieved.

I'll handle tomorrow's problems as they come. For today, I want to heal and rest.

* * *

(1) New anime releasing on Crunchyroll this season. I've held off on reading the webtoon because I was excited for the show, and it's really been a great experience.

(2) Reference to one of Hunter x Hunter's most infamous lines

**AN:** Hey everyone! Can't believe it's been so long. To be honest, I think about this story a lot, even though it doesn't seem like it. I did spend some of the past few months coming up with an idea for the rest of the story. I also reflected on my writing style and what I could do to make things flow a little better. I'm interested in going back and touching up some of the earlier chapters - there are a ton of grammatical errors and other minor issues I'd like to fix.

Please let me know how you feel about this chapter! I wanted to develop Hachiman's dad a bit just because he doesn't get any screen time in the regular series. I know this may be out of character but I ask that you all bear with me. I felt like this interlude would work as a way to give Hachiman some character development and keep the story fresh. I plan on focusing on Hachiman's return to school in the next chapter!

I also apologize for being so inconsistent with my writing schedule. I just finished up a seven-class semester that was pretty hellish, especially working from home. Thankfully that's over, although I'm probably going to work full-time over the summer. Nevertheless, I have some cool ideas for the story and I hope to update it more in the future. Thank you all for sticking with me and leaving such fantastic feedback. Your reviews and follows motivate me to keep writing.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Until next time,

Phelon


	10. Chapter 9

Ch. 9: Return

I think I forgot to mention this earlier, but the Sougou kids somehow didn't steal my bike after I left it for dead when I saved Tachibana. Talk about a lucky break. After talking with my dad, I ended up going to recover it and found it laying on its side in the same alley, although it was a bit dirtier than usual. I spent the night thinking about the past few months and all of the things that have changed with me and around me, marvelling at the beauty of the world and its intricacies.

Or at least that's what I'd say if I was a worldly, profound MC. In reality, I rode bike-chan home, took a shower, and then watched anime until I fell asleep. I didn't really have the mental energy to think about anything else after such an eventful day. I dreamt of my early childhood, back when my eyes were only half-dead and I actually enjoyed making new friends.

Which takes us to this morning. Turns out that extra episode was a mistake because I'm on pace to be late to homeroom _again_. Hiratsuka-sensei's probably preparing to open a can of whoop-ass on me at this very moment. I hopped out of bed and threw my uniform on at lightspeed, not really caring about how disheveled it looked. After brushing my pearly whites and snagging the piece of jam-covered toast that Komachi left on the table for me, I was off to school. If only I was running instead of biking, this would be the perfect setup for a new slice of life show. Kind of funny, considering I'm diametrically opposed to any sort of romcom MC. I bet if I had an anime, it would probably deconstruct all of the genre's tropes and turn into a dramatic, emotional psychological study or something, haha.

As I rode on this amusing train of thought, I also rode my bicycle into the bike rack at Soubu. Thankfully, the swelling from my face has gone down a bit, so I look a bit more presentable. There's still a nasty cut on my lip and a splotch of angry purple skin around my eye, but I feel fine otherwise. To be honest, I like the look. It feels like a giant middle finger to the soccer team, a "look what you've done," type of deal, if you know what I mean. I collected my book bag from the basket in front of my handlebars and started toward class. The crisp autumn air tousled my black locks, offering a convenient excuse for my hair looking like such a rat's nest. I love this time of year; it's usually when people get into their cliques and stop feeling like they need to awkwardly invite me to their gatherings out of pity.

This morning, however, was a bit different. I could see people pointing at me out of the corner of my eye, others whispering behind their mouths, and even some outright stopping and staring. I have no idea how far the post-game events have traveled, but Soubu is a school where anything can make it from one end to the other in a matter of hours, so I wouldn't be surprised if everyone already knows _something_, whether it's the truth or not. Of course, that leaves the question of who leaked everything, but that's not really my concern. I'm sure the story is something like, "that creep Hikigaya started a fight with us in the locker room because he was bitter over his own mistake!" Whatever.

The stares were expected. Even if this didn't happen during an important school event, people would still wonder why I look roughed up. One thing I didn't expect was the sight that greeted me when I opened the door to class 3-F. Most of the other students were already inside by virtue of my tardiness, and the only seat I was surprised to see open was Hayama's. That was until I realized he was right in front of me with his head bowed.

"Hikigaya, look, I-"

"Save the shit, Hayama. I don't want to hear it." I walked past him and sat down at my desk, doing my best to give off the whole edgy "leave me alone before I get angry" vibe. It's something I have years worth of experience in. More importantly, I don't really care much about what anyone in the class has to say, except for one person. Thankfully, she sits behind me, so I have an excuse to avoid staring at her today. Of course, that person is Yuigahama Yui, AKA one of the very nice and caring girls who visited my house yesterday and was met with nothing but dickishness. I honestly have no idea how to approach her or Yukinoshita after the things I said, so I plan on avoiding them until I can clear up my thoughts. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about the Service Club forcing us into contact.

She must have caught my implicit message, because there was no "good morning, Hikki!" today. Or maybe she's just fed up with me. Can't really blame her either way.

Although I was slow at realizing her and Yukinoshita's feelings for me, I'm smart enough to understand that the balance we built up over the last few months isn't very stable. Any of us going too far could throw everything out of place. Honestly, I feel like a hypocrite for engaging in something like this. For all my talk about wanting something genuine, here I am putting on a performance to keep myself satisfied instead of having the courage to deal with their problems. I know they both deserve an answer, and I've spent so much time recently trying to figure out how I feel, but I keep arriving at an impasse. I'm hoping against hope that something will happen to make the decision for me, especially with Haruno's new deadline looming, but I doubt that'll be the case. After all, this isn't an anime; it's real life. Convenient things like that don't just happen.

Moving back to the present, I'm now pretending to pay attention in history class. I can't really remember whether Himiko was in the Yayoi or Kofun period (1), but I'm sure Murata-sensei won't notice as long as I keep scribbling in my notebook. I also hope he doesn't notice my phone's incessant vibrations. I forgot to mute it in my rush to get to class this morning. In the past few weeks, I've gotten used to getting more messages than usual thanks to the soccer group chat, but I still have no idea how normies are able to deal with several conversations at once. Thankfully, Murata-sensei was barely paying attention to his own lesson, so I took the risk to mute it and check who was bothering me in the middle of the school day.

Hm. As expected, a few messages from the soccer group chat, something from Zaimokuza, and a text from Komachi in the morning telling me to make sure I grab breakfast. I scrolled up to see the newer messages, not really sure who else could be texting me at this time. Hardly anyone else has my number; they're all in this class except for Yukinoshita and Iroha, and they'd talk to me directly if they had something to say.

The message was from a number not in my contact list. I could tell by the area code that they were from Chiba, though, so I opened the message instead of ignoring it.

"Hey, Hikigaya, I got your number from the soccer group message. I wanted to privately message you instead of bringing this up in front of everyone. Actually, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Matsuda, one of the first-year players. I'm a forward and I usually practice with Hayama-senpai and Ichiban, so I doubt you'll know who I am anyway."

He was right. Without a face or a specific memory to tie him to, this kid is just another name. Notwithstanding that admission of guilt, I continued to read the message.

"I don't know how to say this, so I'll just go right out and say that I think you're awesome. Even though I was pissed at you after the match last week like everyone else, I think I've come to realize that what you did at the end was ballsier than anything I've seen on a soccer field. I know that this doesn't, no, shouldn't mean anything to you, but I just wanted to let you know how I feel. Although Tachibana has been really nice to me this year, I'm still rooting for you to play too. You've earned the right."

I stared at the message in disbelief. That was probably the last thing I could've expected. His message left a weird, fuzzy feeling in my insides. I guess this is what it's like to be acknowledged. Still, I didn't exactly do what I did for his approval. Nobody asked me to do that, either, so I shouldn't expect people to thank me.

That's probably why this feels so good.

I didn't solve anyone's problem like in the Service Club, nor did I throw myself under the bus for someone else's benefit. I made a selfish decision predicated on my desire to avoid feeling guilty about the game, but someone still appreciated me. There was only one conclusion I could come to from this series of events.

It's nice to be happy without having to sacrifice yourself for it.

My dad's words rang in my ears. Maybe opening up to people could work. If just one person I hardly know can make my day with a few sentences, I wonder what it would feel like to have lots of great friends.

Just kidding. Get a hold of yourself, Hachiman! You're supposed to be the ultimate misanthrope, not some shonen protagonist who solves problems with the power of friendship. I read the message again and responded briefly but politely. At the same time, I could feel the seeds of doubt being planted in that framework. Now that I have some actual evidence to disprove my theory of lonerism, it's going to be hard to justify avoiding people as I have in the past…

"Hikigaya! What's wrong with you!?" Dammit. Opening the text required taking my hand off of my pencil, thus deactivating my level 99 resistance to Murata-sensei's cold calling.

"Seriously, you outright ignore a direct question, _and_ you're on your phone?"

"I'm sorry, sensei. I was just putting it on mute when you looked my way." The lie rolled off my tongue like I'd told it a million times before.

He scoffed and got back to teaching. Unlike Hiratsuka-sensei and Koro-sensei, he's a lot more lax about people actually paying attention to his lessons. I theorize that even he realizes how dry his teaching material is.

* * *

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Yuigahama wouldn't meet my eyes at all during the day, even when I deliberately ate lunch in class as a silent invitation for her to join me. Forget the pipe dream about having a ton of friends; I need to get a hold of the relationships I have right now first. Since I'm no longer a member of the soccer team, I headed straight to the bike rack, ready to go home and laze about.

As the rack came into view, however, I saw a distinctive golden head of hair that told me Hayama was probably waiting in front of bike-chan. He saw me approaching and met me in the middle, smartly blocking my exit without appearing like he was cornering me.

"What do you want?"

"I just want a few minutes of your time to clear things up, Hikigaya."

"Clear what up? I can't fathom how anyone could be confused about this. I think you should get going to practice."

"Practice is canceled for the next week." That's news to me. Seems like the administration has caught wind of the situation.

"You didn't answer my question." The quicker I make my way out of this conversation, the quicker I can get home. I want to catch the live showing of this week's _Tower of God_ episode so Zaimokuza's weekly five-page episode review doesn't spoil me.

"Hikigaya, I think it's best if you're aware of the situation at hand.

You were subjected to abhorrent treatment, a cruel punishment for doing the right thing.

To be honest, I'm just as bad as the attackers for not stopping them. I'm sure you know all about my propensity to avoid conflict, though. It's why you hate me so much.

My inaction, however, was ultimately meaningless. While I deliberated about how to solve the problem without making any waves, Yuigahama-san and Yukino-san went directly to the school office yesterday and provided your story of the altercation."

What? Why would they do that right after I spent the better part of an hour chewing them out?

"Naturally, the school was not happy to hear this. School security cameras caught you leaving the stadium bloody and bruised, so even though there's no video of the fight, it's obvious that someone on the team must have caused those injuries during the time you were in the locker room. Many of the underclassmen as well as myself and Tachibana testified after classes yesterday.

As a result, Soubu has lost three third-year players. Ichiban was one of them. The other two are Kawai and Sasaki, the center-halves that played in front of you all game. The team has been suspended from practice for this week, as I said before. We've forfeited our Wednesday match."

There wasn't much I could say as a response to this information dump, so I went with the simplest and rudest answer I could think of.

"Why should I care?"

"Because your willful ignorance won't absolve you of responsibility for the events happening in your life. You need to open your eyes to the world around you, Hikigaya. People care about you. They care a lot. Even if I hate a lot of the stuff you stand for, I don't want to watch you get your ass beat. Many of the underclassmen came to me yesterday after our testimony and asked me if you'd still be playing. I obviously couldn't answer on your behalf, but I had a feeling you'd be opposed to returning."

"T-That's right." I don't want to admit it, but Hayama's right. I know it and have known it for a while. The past few months have been especially enlightening, and I realized that things have changed since that fateful car accident at the start of our second year. Even though I still claim to be a loner, I text Totsuka every week, Zaimokuza and a few other friends talk about anime and light novels with me fairly often, I've made friends with people like Iroha and even Ebina. Not to mention Yuigahama and Yukinoshita. The game proved that they care, too. They came to watch me even though I never mentioned it to them. They visited me and messaged me.

"Hikigaya, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but we need you. We're missing a lot of players, and we're going to have to slot the first-year keeper into one of the open defender roles. Tachibana still isn't in the best shape, and there may be any number of things that stop him from playing on a given day.

You probably won't even play in a game again unless you really want to. All I ask is that you back him up and come to practice."

I pretended to mull over the offer. The Hachiman from a few weeks ago wouldn't have even considered it, but I knew that Hayama was making the best decision for my sake. I needed to stay on the team for my scholarship, I actually enjoyed being in shape and working out, and the soccer team is the best vehicle for me to iron out my problems with _riajuu_ (2) life. After a while, I replied to Hayama with two words.

"I'm in."

"Fantastic. There is one condition, though."

"What?"

"We're having a team mixer with some guys and girls from other schools next month after the end of the regular season. It's a Soubu tradition and everyone usually shows up, but I have a feeling you'll try to worm your way out of it, so I want to ensure that you attend. Think of it as a bonding experience."

So that's the catch. I really don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of idiots in a small, smelly room singing karaoke or bowling or whatever, especially with people from other schools who won't even know me. I know I have a new MO of making friends and being open and stuff, but everyone has a limit, right? Nevertheless, I know that I'll have to take Hayama up on his offer. It's in a month, anyways. I'll worry about it when it comes.

"Fine."

"Perfect. Well, I'll let you go now, Hikigaya. Make sure you're at the field early for the match - we're playing at home this week."

"Anything else, prince Hayama?"

"Even though we're not practicing, the gym is still open for keepers to train. Tachibana mentioned something about working out with you, so you should call him and figure that out!"

With that, he jogged off with a wave, probably hurrying to go politely turn down some potential girlfriends or something. I don't know, I'm not a harem MC.

* * *

(1) Her death actually marks the end of the Yayoi and beginning of the Kofun period for many Japanologists, lol

(2) Basically Japanese for normie, as mentioned previously

**AN:** Hey guys,

Thanks for all the feedback on the story so far! I'm really honored to see that so many people actually read what I write and care enough to give their opinion. With that, I want to try to respond to some of my reviewers first. The rest of the author's note is down below (beware, it's long):

Regarding Yui and Yukino's feelings and their confessions: this is partially a result of bad writing/planning in the early story, and partially a result of me wanting to push the more emotional scenes in the story until later on. Basically, the aquarium scene is accepted as a confession in this timeline from Yui, because I don't know what happens after. I think this is uncomfortable for a while, but the group is able to accept things as they are thanks to Hachiman's indecision. Yukino's later confession is representative of her hope to break the lie they were living as friends and introduce something genuine to Hachiman. This is a result of her learning from and depending on Hachiman's way of life for so long and also a selfish attempt to get what she wants.

They've been able to ignore their feelings recently, especially with no Service Club meetings. However, I want them to come to a proper consensus, and that will be written into the story. I'm not a good enough writer to guarantee that I'll resolve the issues perfectly, but I will do my best to stay true to their characters while putting my own spin on things.

Back to the author's note, I want to address a couple of the story's details. I know a lot of people don't really like OCs, so I'm sorry for including a few of them in the story. I never really planned for this, but it's hard to write about the soccer team when none of the players have really been introduced in canon outside of Hayama and Tobe. I want the soccer team to affect Hachiman, and I need to have good characters who will be valuable to Hachiman's development in order to do that.

I edited the first few chapters to fix some grammar mistakes and improve the flow in a couple of places. I also reworked the ch. 6 ending to make it a bit less depressing. I realized that maybe giving Hachiman suicidal-ish thinking is overboard, thanks to the feedback in your reviews. That's also not where I want to go with the story at all.

Regarding final pairings, I haven't yet decided things. I haven't read past the anime either, so that has no effect on my choice, although I do know what Hachiman chooses in vol. 14. I think it's easier to write Yukino for Hachiman, considering that the original story is written for them to be together, but I do like almost all of the pairings. My main goal is just to flesh out his relationships with all the girls first so it's more believable when he ends up choosing one (if he's the one who chooses…) Yukino has conveniently not shown up much yet, but I will be giving her a bigger role in the rest of the story.

I think that's all, but you're always welcome to leave a review with other questions or comments.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Until next time,

Phelon


	11. Chapter 10

Ch. 10: Metamorphosis

After agreeing to rejoin the soccer team, I spent the rest of the day going through my exercise list and preparing a decent workout plan that would help me return to the gym slowly but surely over the next week. Taking a few days off isn't really a big deal for most people, but since I've spent most of the past few days lazing in bed or dozing off in class, my fitness level has already begun to suffer. While I was at it, I shot Tachibana a text message to ask about what Hayama was saying earlier. Working out with him would be a boon to my weightlifting progression, considering his formidable skill and experience in the gym.

His taciturn reply included "tomorrow," "same gym as usual," and "don't come if you're not willing to bust ass." That's it. He isn't a man of many words, speaking only when there's something that surprises him. Looking back, he was pretty expressive when I saved his ass. I should've realized just how grateful he was from that alone. Oh well, he's already paid me back in kind.

The next day of classes passed fairly uneventfully, although I did make an effort to give Yuigahama a "yo" before I sat in my seat for homeroom. While I didn't get a direct response, her contagious smile was out in full force whenever I glanced at her for the rest of the day. Yes, I stayed inside for lunch again to (not so) secretly spy on her. The nice thing about Yuigahama is that she's a bit of an open book - a breath of fresh air compared to the Tsundere Kingdom's Ice Queen. My return to practice was also pretty normal. I'm pretty certain that Hayama went out of his way to ensure that everyone ignores the elephant in the room. Whatever, not my problem.

Anyway, Iroha and I are currently on our daily trek to Silverman Gym. She usually talks about how hot Hayama looked at practice or about how she's under so much stress from the student council, and I usually respond with random grunts to show that I'm somewhat listening. This song and dance isn't something I'm particularly uncomfortable with. After all, it seems like most of my conversations are chock-full of emotional weight; what's wrong with some small talk every once in a while?

Unlike the rest of today, however, this walk was a break from the norm. She was silent, glancing at me every few steps with those honeycomb eyes. I swear, one day she's going to break my poor heart without me even knowing it. She's almost a tenth as cute as Komachi, for God's sake! Nevertheless, I could see something was wrong with her. Forgive me for being arrogant, but I could also hypothesize that that something was most likely me. Now that I think of it, we haven't really spoken since the incident, since I told Yukinoshita and Yuigahama to dissuade her from visiting me.

"Senpaii…," she began before closing her mouth. A pout formed on her face as she studied me, no doubt choosing a plan of attack that would allow the foxy kouhai to successfully broach the topic to me.

"What?"

"Are you okay?" Ah, so she chose a direct assault, one that's ambiguous enough for me to slip up and actually say the truth, but also unassuming enough for her to pretend like that's not her goal if I confront her about it. Fine, I'll play your game until we get to the gym, Iroha.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"That's obvious enough."

"What's obvious is that me, Hikigaya Hachiman of all people, would never be hurt by the opinion of some loser _riajuu_."

"Senpai, they beat you up. You don't need to act strong in front of me, it's okay. I promise I'll listen to you. Of course, it's not that I'm really interested in you or anything, but I feel like I should pay you back for all the stuff you do for me."

"I'm offended that you think I care about your interest, Irohasu.

I have two girls who are interested in me already, and spoiler alert, they're a lot cuter than you are."

I was lying through my teeth but I knew that she would practically explode if I said that. For someone totally uninterested, she's shown me quite the jealous streak over the past few months. As I processed that thought, her pout turned into a frown as a melting pot of emotions danced across her face, finally settling on the one expression I wanted to see least. Yes, Iroha was wearing her trademark mischievous, foxy grin.

"Fine then. I'm sure you're doing fantastic, senpai. Since you're doing so well, have you thought about which one of them you're bringing with you to the mixer at the end of the month?"

This was news to me."First off, you're making the bold assumption that I'm attending the mixer. Second, aren't these mixers cheap excuses for guys to meet girls from other schools and try to get into their pants? Why would a guy need to bring a girl with him?"

"Well, senpaiii~," Shit! Critical hit! She was leaning in way too close to me, almost poking my chin with her nose. "This type of mixer is a little unique, I guess?. Since each team comes and argues about their regular-season records and who should've won what game, their discussions also lead to arguments about which school is better overall. Thanks to my experience at last year's mixer, I've realized that soccer players have only two criteria when it comes to judging the caliber of an educational institution."

"The quality of academics and the strength of the soccer program?" I knew the first one was wrong, but I don't really have any idea otherwise.

"Close, but no cigar. They care about how good the team is and how cute the school's girls are. As a result, each team usually invites the girls they find cutest to the mixer to show them off to the guys at other schools.

Since Soubu guys are afraid of their precious cute women being taken away by losers from other schools, they've also developed a system in which every girl who attends comes with a date from the team to deter potential suitors.

Yukinoshita and Yuigahama have always turned team members down in the past, claiming that they have no interest in a date. Since you're so confident in yourself, I bet you know why they _really_ declined. Since you're on the team now, they're both available for the taking. Which one are you going to choose, huh?"

Ah, so this was her plan all along. In fact, I bet she was the one who convinced Hayama that inviting me to the mixer would be a good idea in the first place. We both know I can't pick between Yuigaham and Yukinoshita, and if I have to bring a girl with me, there's only one person I can ask that would cause the least possible turmoil.

"So you made Hayama invite me so I'd choose you as my date?" I don't need to explain my logical jump to her. She's one of the few people who can understand others just as well as I, even if she plays dumb. Play a sucker to catch a mark, huh (1).

"When you put it that way, senpai, it makes it sound like I want to go on a date with you." She hopped back with her arms crossed behind her back, maintaining the terrifying grin that would seem adorable to anyone else. To an outsider, we probably look like lovers completely shut out from the outside world, but this mental chess match certainly doesn't feel very romantic.

Iroha stopped walking and bowed her head. I cringed instinctively as my body prepared me for what I knew was going to happen.

"Thank you for the consideration senpai but I'msorrywecan'tdatemaybeifyouaskmeoutatabettertimeI'dsayyes?"

She started giggling, no doubt patting herself on the back for what she thought was a perfect comeback. Sometimes she reminds me so much of Komachi that I just want to pat her head. It's what makes her so dangerous.

"Anyway, here's the deal senpai. Hayama-senpai is taking that blonde bimbo like he did last year and I'd rather die than go with one of the kids in my year. You're the only one I can ask and I think this would be a mutually beneficial agreement, no?"

"Fine. We'll talk more when the time comes."

"Haiii~"

With that, we were approaching the gym's front doors. I bid Iroha goodbye for today, as I knew Tachibana wouldn't be too happy if I brought her to our meeting. He's not the type to lollygag during a workout, and my cute kouhai has a reputation for being very distracting.

I quickly changed out of my practice jersey into something a bit more fit for lifting and washed my face at the sink. The two-a-day workouts are always difficult, today especially so considering I took the previous 4 off. I found Tachibana doing reverse fly repetitions by the dumbbell rack. His spiky black hair made him stand out from a crowd, as well as his toned physique. While he definitely wasn't the biggest guy at the gym, he definitely had the lowest body fat percentage.

"Yo." His gruff voice grated against my ears; naturally, he sounded just as masculine as he looked.

"What'd you want to show me today?" I replied. "I've been following the routine you gave me, so if I account for the days I missed, we should be working our shoulders today, right?"

"Yep. We're going to do things a little differently today, though."

"I thought so. We're going to go a little easier today because both of us are still recovering from injury, right?"

Tachibana paused in the middle of his rep and turned to look at me incredulously. He then faced me, dropped the weight in his hand, and promptly proceeded to double up in laughter.

"AHAHAH, now _that's _a good one! I thought you didn't have a funny bone in your body, but I'm clearly wrong." He coughed a couple of times and his face returned to looking like it was carved from stone.

"So I take it we're not going easy."

"Obviously not. Listen, Hikigaya, because I don't like talking much, but I feel like I need to spell things out for you.

During the game, you showed me that you're willing to go to hell for your ideals. That's respectable, even if I was mad at you like everyone else. You're better than a pussy who folds under pressure, at least."

He paused to consider his next sentence before settling on the perfect statement to seal my doom for the next 30 days.

"If you're so willing to go to hell, then I'm going to spend the rest of the season taking you there."

* * *

_One Month Later_

_Bzzt. Bzzt._ _Bzz-_

I slapped my alarm clock and rolled out of bed, using the pain to jar me awake. I quickly chugged the glass of water I prepared at my bedside table last night and checked the time. 6:15am. Perfect. I'm a fairly heavy sleeper, so sometimes I only wake up to my alarm after it's been ringing for ten minutes. That was the biggest problem with shifting to this routine, but I've really gotten used to it over the past week.

My tracksuit and school uniform waited for me on the couch. God bless Komachi. I quickly threw together a plate of scrambled eggs, oats, and a can of tuna, letting the eggs cook as I changed. Not the best combination ever, but it was brimming with protein and carbs and the perfect way to boost my morning. I washed down the meal with another glass of water and brought a can of MAX coffee for the road. Fixing my bad sleep hygiene and irregular meal patterns was a relative breeze in comparison to trying to kick my caffeine habit. In the end, Tachibana and I agreed to let it slide as a reward for the progress I was making.

Bike-chan was waiting outside looking gorgeous as ever. I took a moment to watch the beautiful sunrise, following the light rays from the giant ball of gas to the dew droplets on our lawn. I never realized before because I'd always wake up just before class, but there truly is something calming about being awake before everyone else.

I pedaled quickly to Silverman and met Tachibana at the squat rack. Ever since I started "training like a real man," as he called it, I've been following him to his morning workouts and forgoing the late evening training that I was used to. This was a genius idea, even though I'm loath to admit it. The emptier gym in the morning meant I could finish my workout in half the time and fixing my sleeping pattern gave me an hour or two of extra productivity in my day as well. With exams coming up in a couple of months, I need the time however I can get it.

Today is a light day since it happens to also be the last matchday of the regular season. With this and the mixer tomorrow, I'd have my hands full through the weekend, but I've come to enjoy being busy. Don't get me wrong, I still have hot dates with Switch-chan three times a week, but it's nice to spice things up every once in a while too.

We worked through the sets silently, both in our own zone, understanding each other's needs wordlessly. Tachibana knew when I needed help on a lift and when I was just struggling a bit with the weight because he was tracking my progress meticulously. Thanks to his diet and exercise plan, my body was practically redesigned. Although I only gained about 7 pounds, I had managed to melt a ton of excess fat off my body, replacing it with sinewy muscle. As a result, I was in perfect shape for a goalkeeper; well built enough to stop powerful attacks and light enough to maintain explosiveness.

The pre-school workout finished with a 10-minute sauna visit and a quick shower. Now I could bike to Soubu at my leisure, using the ride to relax my muscles.

As I pulled into the bike rack, Yuigahama and Iroha waited for me as they had for the last three weeks.

"Senpai, here are the diagrams Hayama-senpai wanted you to review before the match. He said something about paying attention to the part about offsides traps or something? I thought the only trap at Soubu is that kid in your class! What was his name? Totsuka-senpai or something?"

"It means something completely different, you dunce. And don't make fun of Totsuka-chan." I karate chopped her head and read through Hayama's notes.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my new position, right?

I played two more matches in goal, performing decently enough against a couple of our league's bottom-feeders. Thanks to a season's worth of training and Tachibana's routine starting to have an effect on me, Hayama noticed that I was performing pretty well in our regular practice routines. Since our center-halves were both suspended, our team now had room for someone to take their place, so he designed a system in which I could start rotating in on defense. I don't know whether I actually deserved playing time or if he felt bad about benching a third-year behind some first-years, but I was actually reveling the opportunity. Although I still don't have anywhere near the finesse and control that the midfielders and forwards have, I'm good enough to pass the ball around and clear it away. My super high IQ (one of my 108 Hikki skills) also helped me on the defensive end. It didn't hurt that Tachibana trusted me more as his first line of defense than most of the rest of the team, too.

Meanwhile, Yuigahama poked me in the arm and jumped ahead of me, walking backward as we approached class 2-F.

"Ne, Hikki, I'm gonna be at the game today, y'know."

"I'm so honored that you'd take the time to watch me play." I feigned disinterest, even though my heart rose at the news. Her support is no surprise, but it still feels good to hear.

"You better stop like 50 goals or something! We're going to hang out after and I don't want to deal with your attitude if you guys lose."

"Wait, what?" Although Yuigahama and I's relationship has definitely progressed a long way since our little squabble a month ago, we still weren't on "let's just hang out" terms again. Plus, this felt wrong. Something was missing. _She_ wasn't here.

Ah, Yukinoshita Yukino. I visited her shortly after I agreed to rejoin the soccer team. She responded to my formal apology with a grimace and a forced "thank you," but we've had no contact since. As per usual, she remained an enigma. I wonder how she'd feel about this.

To be honest, I still don't know how to approach the Yukinoshita problem. Haruno's warning is still clear in my mind, but it isn't exactly helping me figure out my feelings. Even if I did know what to do, I don't think I have the courage to take that step. After all, confessing to Yukinoshita would ruin Yuigahama, and turning her down would convince Yukinoshita to never share her feelings again. I was in quite the predicament.

I shook my head and brought my thoughts back to the present. Yuigahama was staring at me quizzically, probably because I hadn't responded to whatever reply she just offered. I muttered an apology and gave her a genuine smile, the kind that always makes her blush. Man, I love straightforward women.

I bade Iroha goodbye as we arrived in class and stepped in after Yuigahama, ready to face another day of pointless lessons.

The school day and match progressed smoothly with us taking a 3-0 victory. Although we were still tied with Kaihin Sougou at the top of the table, they were crowned regular-season league champions because of their head to head advantage. I joined Yuigahama and her friend group's karaoke session afterward. While they were surprised to see me of all people there, it was a surprisingly enjoyable event.

As much as I hate to say it, Hayama had become someone I could respect, even if I still find him a little plastic. The rest were less hostile to me because of my connection to them and Yuigahama. The girls knew how happy our friendship made her and didn't want to get in the way. Even Tobe stopped calling me "Hikitani," somehow!

Sunday is my rest day, so I nabbed a few extra hours of sleep and spent the better part of the day catching up on the seasonal anime I've been following. I then changed into my outfit for the mixer. Komachi had taken the liberty of shopping for me once I realized that most of my clothes were getting a little too tight, so my current outfit was something way too fashionable for me to have chosen myself. I wore a black v-neck with a grey cardigan and black jeans along with black loafers. A silver ring and black belt with a buckle that matched the ring completed the outfit. As a former edgelord, I can appreciate the color choices, even if the outfit itself screams "I steal my fashion ideas from GQ." I stole a quick look at myself in the mirror and admired my exquisite physique before heading out to meet Iroha at the station.

I could make out the back of her head as soon as I made it to Kaihimmakuhari station. At times like this, I feel grateful for her blonde hair. I tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped, turning around to face me. She gave me a once-over before settling on an expression that said _whoever dressed you today did a decent job_. I took a look at her outfit, wondering what she pulled out of the bag for the occasion.

She was in complete contrast with me, wearing a white sweater that said "I 3 Chiba's Peanuts" on it and blue jeans with sneakers. This cute and casual look would be childish on me, but it made her look absolutely adorable. She finished the deal with sparkling lip gloss and light makeup, enough to make her face shine without looking unnatural. In short, she looked like the ideal girl to have on your arm. My expression must have said the same because a smile broke out on her face as she watched me examine her.

"Guess Yuigahama-senpai and Yukinoshita-senpai never wear cute outfits like this, huh?"

"Um, not really, I guess?"

"I win this round, then!" She chuckled before continuing her sentence.

"Sure you do," I responded flatly, not wanting to give her any feeling of satisfaction.

"You know, senpai~," she whispered as she placed her lips directly adjacent to my right ear, "I wouldn't mind dressing like this for you every day."

My face instantly turned beet red. Any teenage guy knows that a girl whispering throatily in your ear is an instant turn-on, and Iroha is no exception. I managed to stumble out a strained "What're you talking about?" and shut my mouth before I made an even bigger fool out of myself.

It seems like I gave her the reaction she was looking for, because she wrapped herself around my arm and said, "Well, if I'm your date for today, let's act like it!"

I just hope I won't have to put up with this all night.

* * *

(1) Reference to Law 21 in _The 48 Laws of Power_

**AN:** Hey guys,

I'm back with another chapter! I've spent some time thinking about how I want Hachiman to develop his relationships, and I've decided that giving him opportunities to interact with everyone is the best way to flesh him out as a character and the girls themselves. Since he's become a bit different from canon thanks to almost a year passing since the end of volume 11 (where I left off and where this fic diverges from volumes 12-14), I want you guys to know more about who Hachiman has become. I hope I'm not being too unrealistic and that it's still worth reading. I'll respond to some reviews below.

Regarding Hachiman's sacrifice being unrealistic: to be honest, the situation you propose is better from a soccer standpoint, and as a player I know a keeper would never admit to doing what Hachiman did. The point I'm trying to make, however, is that Hachiman _would_ be willing to do something that stupid just to protect his ideals. I could've probably written it much more clearly but I hope you can understand my intent.

The pairing is still uncertain, so don't necessarily write this off as a Yukino fic! There is a good possibility that she's the endgame girl, but everyone is still in the running at this point.

Next up is the mixer chapter and Yukinoshita's return! I'm looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say :)

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Until next time,

Phelon


	12. Chapter 11

Ch. 11: Genuine Emotions

After riding the Keiyo line for about fifteen minutes, Iroha and I stepped off and made our way over to the bowling alley where this year's mixer would be held. As we walked, I couldn't help but notice her clinging a little more closely than I'd like, holding me in an armbar that was borderline possessive. I guess she just doesn't want any of the guys from other schools to come after her. For someone as cute as she is, I'm sure that's something she has to seriously worry about.

Five silent minutes of walking later, we arrived at the alley. The building was small and looked homely, with bright neon caricatures of aliens and astronauts adorning the windows and an enamel sign showing a Jupiter-themed bowling ball knocking over some pins. The retro vibe it gave off was tacky in just the right way if that makes any sense. Yep, this is definitely the _Galaxy Bowl_ that Hayama described to the team at yesterday's practice. We stepped in and the cashier instantly greeted us with a toothy grin. I handed him two crisp 1,000 yen bills to cover the cost of our games and shoes and slowly examined the place.

The ground was covered in purple carpet dotted with planets, stars, and other celestial objects at random. Neon streamers hung from the ceiling at random intervals, seemingly disguised as alien tentacles. A modern jukebox machine blasted the latest KyaryPamyuPamyu hit from its speakers.

_Tch_, as expected from some normies with normie-ass music taste.

The lanes and balls were a bit worn but clearly still in good shape and I could see a huge group of people clustered around some tables in the center of the place. That must be where the players and their dates are. I finished my cursory investigation with a look back at Iroha, who was giving me a quizzical look.

"What?"

"Why're you paying for me, senpai?"

"I just assumed you'd make some comment about it if I didn't, so I'll save us both the effort and spare you the 1,000 yen. You've earned it as my manager, anyways."

"Senpai, you're no fun." With a _hmph_, she pouted at me and turned away, jerking my arm around in the process. Considering that it's still practically attached to her, she clearly isn't bothered that much by my gesture.

The cashier returned with two pairs of bowling shoes and wished us good luck as we headed over to the larger crowd. I instantly spotted Hayama; being the only high schooler in the place with blond hair tends to make you pretty visible. As usual, he was also the center of attention. Never one to give a shit about what people think, I broke through the crowd and tapped him on the shoulder to confirm my attendance. He turned around with eyes full of surprise until he realized I was the one getting his attention. Funnily enough, his eyes widened again when he looked down and noticed how Iroha was crushing my bicep.

"Ah, Hikigaya, I'm glad to see you made it!"

"Yeah, I'm stuck here for the next few hours thanks to you, asshat."

Hayama let out a chuckle and flashed me a megawatt smile. Man, that would've me if my heart didn't already belong to Totsuka! Someone really needs to explain what restraint is to this guy.

"Man, you're hilarious. Well, everyone else should be here in a few minutes, so I think it would be a good idea for all of us to sit down and start setting up our matches, right?"

The crowd chimed in with various sounds of approval as we all took our seats. Hayama has a talent for framing what he wants as a suggestion that's best for the group. In reality, he didn't want to remain the center of attention while I ragged on him since it would ruin his golden-boy image and make me look like a total asshole. Naturally, this is what I want to happen so nobody approaches me for the whole night, but it seems like blond douche-sama has other plans.

Soon after, the complimentary greasy-ass pizza that's a staple of these sorts of places arrived at our tables and we ate as the rest of each school's attendants filtered in. I greeted the rest of the team and helped set up the matches at each lane. As expected from a meeting of soccer players, the "mixer" would be scored competitively, with each team and their dates adding the sum total of points from all their lanes and comparing them to the other schools. There would be no tangible prize for finishing first, but bragging rights are probably worth more than most things for a group of guys like this.

As the last few players trickled in, I caught Tachibana walking in with a short, cute girl sporting a black bob and smiling widely at the sight of Iroha and me.

"Ne, onii-chan, is that the one you were talking about?" She pointed at me with a devilish grin and scrunched eyebrows. B-bakana, a girl that's almost as cute as Komachi? How could this be?

"I told you to stop pointing at people, Rui. This is Hikigaya." He gave me the same curt bow we'd been exchanging for the past month, completely ignoring Iroha.

"Uh, hello? I'm here too, you know! And senpai is min- I mean senpai is MY servant, so go get your own somewhere else!"

'Rui' responded to Iroha's outburst with yet another smile and stuck her hand out in imitation of the ubiquitous Western greeting. "Oh no, you misunderstand. Hi! I'm Rui Tachibana, Haruki onii-chan's sister. I'm actually in your class, Isshiki-san. Onii-chan just never stops gushing about Hikigaya-senpai at home. You see, he can come off as very intimidating, so he really treasures anyone with the courage to approach him, hehe."

That last sentence earned Rui a chop on the head, although I can't say I was paying much attention. Much more important than that is the fact that I have just met a cute, black-haired girl named Rui Tachibana who seems to really like her brother. Please don't tell me… (1)

"Oi, Tachibana. You don't happen to be sis-con, do you?"

"Huh? Of course not. What're you even saying?"

"Forget it. Anyway, why'd you bring your sister?"

"Because I can't risk her going with any other guy. She's obviously the cutest freshman by a mile, so I knew someone on the team would try to take her if I didn't."

"Ah, I see." Total siscon, huh.

Noticing Tachibana's presence, Hayama jumped in from across the table and interjected, "Seems like you're the last one, Tachibana-kun! With that, let's start the match!"

A roar of approval sounded throughout the place and we all began our respective games. Honestly, I really like bowling, mostly because it's something you can enjoy completely by yourself. Even if you're playing with people, all that really matters is your own performance. Plus, it's fairly easy to get decent at for someone with dextrous hands from hundreds of hours of mobile gaming. Thanks to my existing familiarity with the game, it was fairly easy to hop into a lane without much thought.

* * *

It's hard to believe two hours have passed since Iroha and I have arrived. Soubu ended up beating the other schools pretty handily, thanks in no small part to Hayama's three perfect games. What a shitty Gary Stu. I didn't do so poorly myself, with the fourth-highest score in the entire group. Tachibana performed terribly, reinforcing my theory that he's poured all of his skill points in life into goalkeeping.

After the games, we hung out at the alley for a little while longer. As I listened to yet another story about Iroha's trials and tribulations at student council president, I felt a tap on the shoulder. I turned around to see the golden boy himself once again.

"You know, Hikigaya, there are a few other schools here too. You should meet some new people!"

"I'm fine with staying here. Plus, Iroha's clearly keeping me occupied."

"Hey, baka-senpai! I'm doing you a favor by making it look like you're in conversation so you don't look awkward sitting by yourself!"

"Wow, Iroha, that's… oddly considerate?"

She blushed as she realized the weight of her words and quickly fumbled through a stammered correction. I swear it seems like her rejections get weaker and weaker each time.

"Fair enough. Well, I'm happy with how you've been bonding with our team recently."

He placed his hand on his chin and stared thoughtfully at me like he was considering his next sentence carefully.

"You know, there might actually be someone you know from another school here!"

"Huh?"

"Well, Sougou High is part of this mixer, if you haven't already noticed. I remember when we went on that double-date one of the girls knew you from middle school, right? What was her name, again? Oroki? Uraraka? Well, you should go say hi either way! I know that I kind of made things awkward at the end of the date but I'm sure she'd be happy to see you anyways. You've changed a lot since then, anyway."

Wait.

How, in this entire month of knowing about the mixer, did I not realize that one of the "rival schools" attending with Soubu would have to be Sougou? And knowing that Orimoto is definitely one of the cutest girls at that school, how didn't I realize she would be here today? Shit, shit, shit. There's no way she didn't notice me when I went up to Hayama at the start of everything. Shit. We haven't exchanged a word since she left my house on the day after the incident and I really don't want to open that can of worms at a random bowling alley, or anywhere with other people around for that matter.

"I think I'll take a pass this time. We'll probably see them when we make Kokuritsu anyway. I'll be sure to greet her then."

Even for me, that's a massive deflection. Hayama didn't seem convinced but left the subject alone and turned back to the conversation he was missing out on.

Iroha and I continued our conversation without any further interruption. She's surprisingly good at holding your interest if you remain invested in what she has to say. She gave me advice with Komachi, talked to me about the very limited catalog of anime she was familiar with, and even took interest in my workout routine. In exchange, of course, I was forced to listen to another thirty minutes of useless conversation on the boys that confessed to her that week and her drama with other girls in class. The time slipped between our tongues like sand in an hourglass, the conversation whittling away at our remaining few minutes in the dingy establishment. Before we knew it, Hayama had thanked everyone for coming and we were all filing out of the place in a disorderly fashion.

Iroha and I stepped back onto the eastbound train, deep in conversation again. I don't know if I've said this before, but Iroha really is surprisingly easy to talk to. I almost hoped the train ride wouldn't end. Alas, I must get back to Komachi-chan.

Unfortunately, my daydreams (are they just normal dreams if it's dark out?) were paused by a clap on my back. I looked to my left and froze at the sight of Kaori Orimoto and two girls I wasn't familiar with. Her friends, maybe?

"Heyyy, Hikigaya! You're looking animated today, eh?"

"Uh, Orimoto, yo."

Iroha quickly stepped in front of me and tried to project what I guess is supposed to be an intimidating glare at the girls in front of us. "What business do you have with senpai? And why are you touching him without his consent?" Never change, Iroha.

Orimoto narrowed her eyes at Iroha as if she recognized her face before opening her mouth in surprise. "Oh, student council president-chan! I remember you! You were the one who had to depend on poor Hikigaya here to do all the talking for you at our joint meetings, right? It's a _pleasure_ to see you again." The last sentence dripped with thinly veiled sarcasm.

Iroha's face contorted into an open-mouthed expression of shock, as if she couldn't believe someone would dare to talk down to her like that. Orimoto's lackeys took the chance to give me a once-over, clearly dissatisfied with what they saw.

One of them intervened, turning the topic of conversation back to me in hopes of de-escalating the brewing conflict.

"Kaori, this is the guy? He has a decent build but he's like, totally a 5 at best. You were making him sound as cute as Hayama-san or something at school yesterday!"

"I'm right in front of you, you know."

Orimoto smiled sweetly at her friend in much the same way that a mother looks at her child after it makes a patently bogus statement.

"Hikigaya, do me a favor and close your eyes."

"What?"

"Just do it."

I wordlessly complied with her sentence, only to open them again after hearing four gasps.

All of the girls were staring at me like I'd just told them they had won the lottery.

"Senpai, since when did you look like that?"

"Kaori, I think I get what you were saying now."

"Hikigaya, don't ever do that again unless you want to be sexually assaulted on public transportation."

"Uh, you guys are making this sound like a shitty fanfiction at this point. Can we just get on with the conversation?"

"A what? Anyway, I just wanted to check in and say hi. It seems like you're having fun with your girlfriend, so I'll leave you to it."

"Iroha isn't my girlfriend! We're just senpai and kouhai." As soon as I let that sentence slip out of my mouth, I knew I had made a grave mistake. This both angered Iroha and gave Orimoto an excuse to rejoin the conversation. Curse my unshakable bluntness!

"Oho, so I take it that you're single right now?"

"Possibly, but that doesn't make me interested in any sort of relationship." Considering that I'd definitely enjoy dating any of the Service Club's members, this was probably a lie, but it was close enough to the truth that I let it slide.

"H-hey! Why're you asking my senpai these questions? Don't you think you're getting a little too personal?"

"Iroha, was it? Do you have a problem with how I talk to Hiki- I mean, _Hachiman_? You know, in middle school, _Hachiman_ gave me the cutest confession. I was an idiot, but I really wish I responded more favorably to _Hachiman's_ feelings. After all, we both know that _Hachiman's_ a really great guy, and he's extreeemely," She emphasized this last word as she trailed a finger down my shirt, tracing the lines formed by my hardened physique, "attractive. To be honest, he isn't really cute like Hayama-san. He's hot in that 'troubled angst guy' way, don't you think?"

Damn. I need to take a stand on this before things get any worse. I prepared a few lines that would both defuse the situation and improve Iroha's mood and rattled them off at full speed.

"Orimoto, I thought we went over this already! I'm not the same person I was in middle school, and you aren't the same girl. Please stop embarrassing me in front of my precious kouhai if you have nothing important to say." I buttered Iroha up a little with that one to make up for my earlier misstep.

"Ah, I'm embarrassing you now? That's really funny. Your lips didn't feel very embarrassed on that day, though."

"Huh? Don't talk about weird stuff like that!" Iroha's face was white, her eyes rocketing back and forth between Orimoto and I, which wasn't a far distance considering how much of my personal space she was violating.

"Oh, _Hachiman_ didn't tell you? We were making out the other day in his living room. I just couldn't get enough of him, you know. Would you like me to describe the sensation? He's so cute when he closes his eyes and his breath actually smells pretty good. He didn't seem very experienced but I could really feel the _hunger _in his tongue, you know? You should try it sometime. I'm sure he'd let you do it out of pit-"

"Enough." I lightly shoved Orimoto off of me. I was practically shaking with anger. She could tell that she went too far just by looking at my eyes. Unfortunately for her, they housed no mercy.

"Huh?"

"I. Said. Enough. Don't call me by my first name, don't make the kiss that _you_ initiated a mutual experience, and most of all, don't you dare try to hurt someone important to me like that. Don't act like we're best friends because you want to hang around me all of a sudden. Don't get bitter just because I turned you down respectfully. I still have a good image of you and I want to remain acquainted with you. I highly recommend you keep your mouth shut for the rest of our time on this train if you place any value in our friendship."

Orimoto's two accessories were staring at me in complete shock. I'm guessing they're not used to her getting completely schooled like that. Hah. Sasuga Hachiman.

Orimoto herself was staring at me with a completely blank expression. I couldn't decipher her thoughts at all, not that I really wanted to. I'm sure she's over her false "feelings" for me by now.

"Okay, Hikigaya, I'll stop. But before I do, I just want you to know that your little outburst was hot. Like really hot."

I stared at her with no reply prepared. That was the absolute last response I could've expected. Thankfully, I was saved by the bell when the train speaker announced our stop.

"Oh, what a coincidence, it's our time to get off! I'll see you some other time, Orimoto."

I grabbed Iroha's hand and laced it in mine before hurrying out of the station.

"S-senpai?"

"Don't say anything. Let's just walk for a moment."

The winter weather bit at my face as I escorted Iroha over to her house. I could remember the general direction, although she'd have to lead the way once we get closer. Eventually, we got to a streetlight that marked the end of the road, which forked into two different side streets.

"Which way, Iroha?"

"Here is fine, senpai."

"What? Someone could kidnap you at this hour! I should at least walk you closer."

"It's fine. My house is nearby, anyway."

Whatever. I couldn't bring myself to leave her for some reason, so we just stood at the end of the sidewalk awkwardly. I could say that this was one of the beauties of teenage life. As much as most people hate to admit, these cumbersome moments are what make us human.

Eventually, I started to see flecks of white in the fluorescent light bathing us, indicating the arrival of a snow shower. I figured this would be the right time to start heading home before I got caught in some bad weather and turned to Iroha, only to see her mouth already beginning to form words.

"You know, senpai, did you really mean what you said on the train?"

"Do I ever say anything I don't mean?"

"Not very often, I guess."

"Then there's your answer."

Another brief pause ensued before Iroha started speaking again.

"Thank you."

"It's whatever."

"I know I downplay our relationship a lot, but I hope you know that you matter a lot to me. I'd never fake my true feelings for anyone. I'd also never hang out with someone on my own time if I didn't really like them."

"I've sort of guessed that, Iroha."

"You're really hard to talk to, you know?"

"You're not the first to tell me that."

"Mou, I'm never the first to do anything with you."

"What're you talking about?"

"The sort of things that girls like to do with guys, you know?"

"I'm not following."

I looked at her quizzically and realized that Iroha was staring at me for the first time. Not gauging my emotions, not throwing up a facade, not making a foxy expression or plotting anything, just staring into my soul and baring herself to me as well. When I see her like this, her beauty becomes truly apparent.

"You're really dense, you know?" A genuine smile broke out on her face, one that was the result of true amusement.

"Uh, I'm still not following you."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to be better than the rest if I can't be first," Iroha whispered before pulling me down by my collar and kissing me right on my chapped lips.

Huh?

There's no way. Nope. This is not happening again. Twice in about a month? Who said Iroha could do something like this? Is she going to accuse me of harassment when she comes to her senses tomorrow? I don't even know anymore…

My brain melted as I ran out of what ifs and began to feel the warmth of her lips on mine. She tasted like the Dr. Pepper she drank earlier at the mixer mixed with fruity lip gloss. I could smell the citrus coming from her golden tresses. All of my feelings felt like they were overclocked, my CPU seconds from overheating (2). I pulled my hands up from my sides and pulled her closer, one hand guiding her waist while the other caressed the back of her head. Even though I don't really have any experience with this sort of thing, my body was just doing what felt natural. I wasn't even exactly sure why I was going along with this, to be honest. Nevertheless, it felt amazing.

Iroha broke away from me to breathe a few seconds later. My brain was still addled so I couldn't think of any empty words to fill the blank space between us.

"Senpai."

"Y-yes?"

"Do you remember when I told you to take responsibility?"

"Uh, yeah. That was a while ago, right?"

"You see, I was being a liar. I acted like your talk about being genuine made me confess to Hayama-senpai but I really just wanted to get him out of my system."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"I've been ignoring my true feelings for a while now. I know I'm not what Yukinoshita-senpai or Yuigahama-senpai are to you, so I tried to pretend that I didn't love you for as long as I could."

"Honestly, it's kind of hard to do that when you're always saving me, though. I-I think that I'm ready to face rejection now. I want you to be happy more than I want my feelings to be reciprocated, so it's okay if you don't like me back."

"..."

Iroha took advantage of my stunned silence to hug me as hard as she could. She laid her head against my chest and snuggled into me, bringing us as close as humanly possible given the situation.

"No matter what happens, senpai, I want you to know that I love you so much."

Boom. The forbidden phrase. The one I've been avoiding like the plague since that fateful moment in middle school.

At the same time, I feel okay with this for some reason. Although I'm not sure of its nature, I also know that a lot of love for Iroha exists within me as well. I can't really tell if she and I would ever be a good match, but I know that she's someone I'm truly grateful to have in my life.

After what felt like an eternity, our bodies finally separated. Iroha offered me another beautiful smile, her face shining in the glow of the streetlight. I offered her a pat on the head and prepared to take my leave.

"I'll be going then, Iroha. Have a good night."

"Idiot senpai! What kind of scumbag doesn't even respond to his kouhai's confession?"

"Hey, don't make assumptions. What if I'm just waiting until I can give you a genuine response?"

I waved and turned away as I started back home, desperately trying to hide the uncontrollable grin that kept breaking out on my face.

* * *

The next day passed at hyper speed. Iroha acted like nothing happened between us in front of Yuigahama, although she was quick to hug me when Yuigahama disappeared for a moment. We had the day off from practice because of the end of the regular season, so I packed my bag and made my way to the door until I realized it was being blocked by a certain someone in a white lab coat.

"Yo, Hikigaya."

"Hiratsuka-sensei, I promise I've been going to soccer practice."

"I know, I've been coming to all of your games."

"What?"

"Act like that you didn't just hear that. Anyway, I need you to take these boxes to the Service club room. There's no other storage space in the building and I can't have the janitor see my manga collection. I've been trying to make a move on him for weeks and it would ruin everything if he finds out I'm an otaku!"

"I'll do it if you'll let me go home after."

"No worries, Hikigaya, this shouldn't be _that_ long."

Huh. Wonder why she put so much emphasis on "that."

I grabbed the boxes she pointed to at the back of the room and wordlessly made my way to the clubroom where everything began. Now that I think about it, these boxes are remarkably light for being full of books. I wonder if Hiratsuka-sensei pointed at the wrong set of boxes? Whatever. Not like I'm going back there to correct her own mistake.

I slid open the door and placed the goods on top of the long table that the Service club would convene at after school during our second year. I then dusted my slacks off and turned on my heel, ready to hurry home and start playing with Switch-chan.

Except there was a problem.

You see, someone else was in the clubroom.

Someone else that I knew very well.

In fact, you may actually say that I know her _too _well.

Yukinoshita Yukino was blocking my exit. The black-haired beauty had her arms and legs spread like a starfish as if to signal "Stop! Don't come near this door!" A little weird, but whatever. Yukinoshita looked at me and swallowed before opening her mouth to speak. I cut her off with a greeting to kill some tension.

"Yo, Yukinoshita."

"Hikigaya-kun, I'm going to need a favor."

"Depends on what it is."

"I-I need you to…"

"I-I need you to k…"

"I, you, we need to…"

"Spit it out, already!"

She screwed up her tomato-red face and offered what seemed like a look of determination. How adorable. For a moment she was mute until she uttered her next line. In a completely even tone, as if she was asking me to pass her the salt, Yukinoshita Yukino said this:

"I need you to kiss me right now."

What?

* * *

(1) Reference to Rui Tachibana from Domestic Girlfriend, aka "it's not like we're blood related or anything" sister

(2) Overclocking is the name for a process in which computer parts have their operating speed increased by the user or an outside technician. This offers boosted performance at the cost of stability and a higher likelihood of overheating without a proper cooling system.

**AN:** Hey guys,

Here's a fresh new chapter! I hope you guys enjoy what I've done with the mixer and Orimoto's character. I know she's a bit OOC but I think I like having her as a semi-aggressive villain in this story. She has good intentions but can be a bit too crazy about Hachiman, lol.

Next up is some melodrama, hahaha :) Hope you guys enjoy!

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Until next time,

Phelon


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